


Neverending Misery

by Ghostofawarrior



Series: Despair AU Series: Disney's Hercules (Plot Twist for Season 1, Episode 11: Hercules and the Tapestry of Fate) [1]
Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Disney - All Media Types, Hercules (1997), Hercules: The Animated Series
Genre: Also Athena is literally Junko Enoshima but different fonts, Also Electra is a lesbian, Also teens being teens, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Dark, Ancient Greece, And Fear is sexually confused, Angst, Angst and Feels, Anxiety, Athena (probably) redeemed, Athens, Bad Ending, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Body Horror, Brainwashing, Broken Families, Broken Promises, Character Death, Dangan Ronpa Spoilers, Despair, Despair Disease (Dangan Ronpa), Disney, Disney Movies, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, End of the World, Episode: s01e11 Hercules and the Tapestry of Fate, Eventual Happy Ending, Everyone Has Issues, Evil Plans, Evil!Athena, Experimentation, F/F, F/M, False Memories, Fate Worse Than Death, Flashbacks, Genocide, Good versus Evil, Hallucinations, Hercules (1997) References, Hope vs. Despair, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Torture, Incest, Insanity, Mastermind!Athena, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Minor Character(s), Mount Olympus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Multi, Original Character(s), Out of Character, Parent Death, Past Relationship(s), Plot Twists, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Presumed Dead, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Punishment, Questioning, References to Depression, Rehabilitation, Remnants of Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Sad Ending, Search for a Cure, Some slight yandere!Athena, Sparta - Freeform, Tartarus, Terror is a himbo CHANGE MY MIND, Trauma, Ultimate Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Underage Drinking, Underworld, Unhappy Ending, War, With A Twist, Yes this is inspired in Danganronpa, dark!fic, implied stockholm syndrome, killing game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:40:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23910106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghostofawarrior/pseuds/Ghostofawarrior
Summary: (NOTE:  Hercules: The Animated Series - Hercules and the Tapestry of Fate AU, but with a darker turn)When Hades decides to alter the Tapestry of Fate, everything seemed fine. Wonderboy was out of his way, despite being alive, he was the King of Olympus, and no one could stop him. Everything was peaceful and perfect for him. Indeed, he did maintained some things... But at what cost?What he didn't knew is that letting Zeus and Metis conceive Athena, plus taking the child away and use her for his own personal gain and power would soon result in his demise.------Despair.It was a rare, yet curious term the child read. She repeated the word in her mouth several times. Trying to grasp the meaning of it. Indeed, she knew what it meant. She perfectly knew what it means...Yet, why was she so drawn to it?NOTE: This is inspired in Danganronpa and one of AngelicaR2's fics. So far, it's a rough draft. Feedback is appreciated!
Relationships: Aphrodite/Athena (Disney: Hercules), Ares/Athena (Disney: Hercules), Cassandra/Galatea (Disney: Hercules), Hera/Zeus (Disney: Hercules), Hercules/Tempest (Disney: Hercules), Metis/Zeus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Series: Despair AU Series: Disney's Hercules (Plot Twist for Season 1, Episode 11: Hercules and the Tapestry of Fate) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1739638
Comments: 43
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AngelicaR2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelicaR2/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Something doesn’t fit in.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19044349) by [AngelicaR2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelicaR2/pseuds/AngelicaR2). 



'On the count of three, you need to get out!  
One, two, oh, you sure convinced me.   
I don't want the infection spreading.  
Oh my God…  
You're laughing again.' 

-Hyperdontia - Creep-P & GHOST 

Summary: An alternative take on Disney's Hercules Animated Series' episode "The Tapestry of Fate." When Hades manages to change fate, he also changed something. He allowed Zeus' affair with Metis, thus producing Athena, but at what cost?

… at what cost, indeed? 

\--------------

Hades' POV

"Log Time: 13:45 

The first experiment with the kid has begun. Of course, I decided to borrow one of Zeusy's lil' brats for experimentation. I mean, c'mon, you can't help it if you're the King of Olympus and there's a child of Metis fates to overthrow me! Oh, by the way, rest in peace Metis. Sorry about your husband killing you...oh wait, that was me. 

Yeah, too bad he doesn't know I killed you. I mean, I think it's a good thing! Otherwise he'd hate me more than he already has and try to overthrow me. Heh. 

But you would understand, right Metis? Just why I took your immortality away and killed you? Because of that child in your belly. That child was going to be the Hercules in that 'other' time. But little old me wasn't going to allow that. So I killed ya!... But then, you fooled me. You gave birth to a PREMATURE Athena- pretty risky really, and you let her inherit your wisdom, out of all things! When I found out your kid was alive, well, and with Zeus, I, as the Lord of Olympus, decided to take matters in my own hands… see if I can extract every last bit of that kid's wisdom that you left in her and maybe, just maybe, be a powerful ruler. No one will be able to stop me by then. 

And we are off to a great start! 

Of course, the kid bitched and complained about having to be tied against a table while I gave her anesthetics and tried to look through her brain every once in a while, but I convinced her that it was just a game! So yep, she went along with it. And I gotta say, kid hasn't been a hassle. Once I was done, I told her she was good to go and, well… sewed her head back. I mean, hey, we're Gods. We don't die that easily. 

Anyways, back to my main point! 

What I found was quite interesting. Very interesting. While Metis did left her wisdom to Athena- that's the lil' girl's name, by the way-, she basically made what I would like to call a 'reset' in her knowledge and wisdom. While Athena was gifted with wisdom and knowledge, she still hasn't developed the same level of expertise as her mother. Her mother was VERY wise. Hell, she can even come up with any type of plan for any event, whether if it's for good or evil! In other words, Athena's level of expertise has went down to phase one. However, there's an obvious high chance that her knowledge and wisdom will evolve as she grows up and stops aging one day. It's quite interesting… too bad I have to wait till this kid is fully developed- and I mean mentally. 

Once her wisdom is complete, it'll be mine to keep. 

Just wait, Hades. Just wait. Soon enough, no one will stop you. 

\----------------

Athena POV

Dear Diary,

Ever since Uncle Hades began playing with my brain, I've been feeling… weird. 

I had the scariest, weirdest nightmare right after I went to bed. When I woke up, I screamed. It was so scary… that face looking at me in fright, telling me to run as fast as I can… but I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I was frozen like a statue. 

I couldn't stop crying. My brother… he was scared when he saw me this way. He didn't laugh at me or anything. He was… genuinely scared when he saw me crying. Momma Hera had to come and put me back to sleep, telling me that it was just a nightmare and that things like these never happen or exist in real life. But… what if what I dreamed was truly real? What if I did know that face from somewhere? What was Uncle Hades trying to do to my brain? Why can't I see papa anymore? Why do I suddenly feel weird?

If someone is reading this, I need to know; am I okay? Should I be scared? 

Papa… I miss you…

\-------------

?????? POV:

Legend has it that a so-called "Ultimate Despair" will soon rise from their own thy torture. 

What Metis never knew is that the moment Hades decided to change fate with the Tapestry, no matter what he would do, the odds would be against him. Unknowingly, he was creating a bigger evil. An evil much worse than his own. An evil that could possibly corrupt the whole planet, sooner or later. 

In a span of years, the Ultimate Despair shall rise and snap to their true selves. This Ultimate Despair shall be the beginning of an endless world filled with nothing but pain, sorrow, blood, and souls begging for a measly revival. Souls wanting nothing but to feel alive again, even if it was at the cost of suffering despair. 

Buildings and temples shall become either shelters for those who clung onto hope, or prisons for those whose deaths shall be marked from the moment they are brought to this world. The disease shall start in Greece, then it'll spread all over Mount Olympus, infecting every single God and shredding every ounce of hope they once had, and it'll continue to spread throughout every single country in the world, until nothing is left. Enemies will still cling against hope. Those who have nowhere to go shall have the choice. Will they side with hope… or let themselves succumb into despair?

Only time will tell. For she will decide the ending for this world.


	2. Chapter 1: A False Utopia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything has a beginning. Whether it's a nice, mellow beginning, or a harsh one, every good or bad ending has its reason why it ended either way. And Athena's reason to crave for a bad ending was nothing more than the false hope that she had been given.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: THIS STORY WILL BE TOLD IN DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEWS AND DIFFERENT TIMELINES. Probably, at some point throughout the story, it will have a permanent timeline to follow through till the end of the story. 
> 
> Another thing; Feedback and constructive criticism is welcomed. Please don't bother in DM me as well: 
> 
> Tumblr: tonuitekan

Chapter 1: A False Utopia 

**_Year 435 B.C._ **

**_How The Tragedy Began_ **

“Looking better, I see. Athens is looking even marvelous so far, Pericles!” 

“Ah, indeed. Ever since the wars have been decreasing, it seems as if there’s never a bad day here. It’s been a good week, so far.” Their general smiled, bowing his head as he spoke to the citizens that were roaming up and about doing their everyday duties, hobbies, or tasks. “Even better; our student drop-off percentage has decreased. I am so honored to say, as the leader of Athens, that our blessed city’s education will have a promising future.” 

“Thank the gods!” 

“Couldn’t have said it any better!” 

The townsfolk cheered, all the while the man before them beamed proudly. He sat up, dusting off his clothing as he cleared his throat. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have other businesses to attend. If you have any questions or concerns, please come to my home during day hours. I will be more than happy to answer any concerns you may have.” 

With that, their leader left along with his guard, all the while the other mortals scattered away as they resumed to their usual activities. The elder man sighed, wiping off the sweat from his forehead as the two went back to his household. “I will probably give you the rest of the day off, Chipacles. From what I see, this week’s errands have been pretty much caught up, plus no wars have been announced or foreseen.” 

“I second that motion sir.” The taller, bulkier man dipped his head as he entered the leader’s house. “However, I can’t leave just yet. Someone has been meaning to talk to you. I told him to wait here along with other guards since he said it’s an urgent matter.” 

“An urgent matter?” Pericles blinked. Setting his papyruses and his other things aside on his mini desk. Meanwhile, Chipacled frowned and nodded, walking up to a room as he opened the door. 

“If it wasn’t someone who threatened to kill you before, I wouldn’t have called the guards to stay with him, but…” He trailed off, gesturing at the two guards inside to bring said visitor out. As soon as they did, the elder looking man’s eyes widened. That is, until a frown instantly replaced it as soon as he saw who his “lucky” guest was. 

“Clion. It’s been a while.” The man’s tone grew firm. He did remember the man indeed. Just a few months ago, Clion had been one of his many ministers and assistants for quite a few years since Athens began to exist. However, that had been a total turndown when he learned that the latter had been trying to kill him, plus was working for none other than Ares, the God of War and Sparta himself. The thought that one of his own people turning their backs against him or any Athenian made him severely disappointed. Not only would they lie about their loyalty towards Athens, but they would do anything so that Ares can steal Athens from his own sister. He had thought that Clion was completely gone- probably divorced from his wife and had gone to another country or city in Greece after escaping prison, yet here he was. Holding a stern look as he still maintained his bulk and muscled form, which was greatly different from the skinny, almost fragile form that the man used to have. 

A question suddenly popped to him. What could Clion possibly want? He couldn’t expect to be brought back as a minster, after what he almost did to him. That, or was he finally handing himself back to the authorities. Thus, he wouldn’t be here if he was doing so. Yet again, Chipacles had mentioned that the man wanted to discuss a serious matter. Just how serious this matter was? Should he be concerned? 

Before Pericles had the chance to say something, Clion beat him to it. 

“Pericles, we need to talk.” The man said. His tone is calm, yet almost shaken. “It’s… about your goddess. And I promise that as soon as we are done talking, I will hand myself back to prison. I already talked to the guards.” 

_______________________________________________________________-

As soon as Pericles allowed and confirmed that the man meant no harm or threat, he brewed some tea for the two. As Pericles prepared such beverages, Clion sat by the living room, his gaze lowered and not speaking for even a second since the long haired male had told him to take a seat. His hands were shackled, just so he could be sure that his former minister was not going to hurt anyone. As the guards bore their gazes at the convict, Pericles spoke. 

“So Clion, what brings you here, even after you attempted to assassinate me and escape from justice?” He asked curtly, serving two cups of teas as he offered one who Clion, who silently took it. Before the man spoke, he took a careful, slow sip, making sure that he wouldn’t get burnt by the drink’s high temperature. As he finished, he finally spoke. 

“There’s been many rumors spreading around lately in other cities. I’m not sure if you or the others have heard.” 

“Rumors?” 

“Rumors about a disease.” Clion continued, finally gazing up at the old man with a frown. “I’ll give it to you short and simple. I already contacted Hippocrates and he’s already doing research on it before contacting the King, but I wanted to tell you beforehand.” He then straightened his frame up, taking a quick deep breath as he went on. “It’s called the Despair Disease. Many people in other cities far from Athens and Sparta are being infected by it. Many people call it ‘zetsubo’ or whatever translation in Japanese. Meanwhile, Hippocrates decided to call it Despair Disease. The symptoms may vary, but most of them are suicidal or homicidal tendencies, depression, a swirl seen in the individual’s eyes, reddening of the eyes, and most commonly, vomiting. The thing is, we don’t know where the disease came from. I was living Rhodes for some time until I saw people getting it. I ran as fast as I could. It was… insane.” He mumbled as he gazed down. 

“Many people were killing each other. Most of them were laughing like complete sociopaths… there was blood almost everywhere. It was a complete genocide. I had to leave as fast as I could and tell someone.” 

Silence then rang amongst the room. Everyone remained shocked, almost not believing it until he spoke again. “And if you don’t believe me, then you may ask Hippocrates himself about his recent travel at Thebes. He’ll tell you all about it once he finishes his research.” 

“Now hold on.” Pericles abruptly spoke, his brows furrowing as he sat down before him. “What does this have to do with our goddess? You said you wished to talk about Athena, but what does she have to do with all of this? You think she can fix this whole thing that’s going on?” 

At first, Clion didn’t reply. His gaze shifting to his cup of tea as he sighed deeply. He set his cup aside, trying to rub his wrists even if they were held in shackles as he spoke. 

“... If I haven’t tried to kill you before, you’d believe me, but…” He gazed at him. “Hippocrates and I believe that Athena is involved with the Despair Disease. You see… When we left the two cities that were infected, we saw Athena nearby. Gazing at the cities from afar.” 

“That is defamatory, Clion!” Pericles accused. “For all we can know, she might’ve been trying to execute a plan to save these cities- that is, if she knows about this Despair Disease. How come she would cause such disease?” 

“That may be a possibility, sir, but there is a hole in that argument. For you see…” Clion trailed off, pausing before he finally finished his sentence. “When the mortals who were trying to survive the infection were calling for the gods, none of them showed up at the two cities. Except herself. She had this… this gaze. I couldn't quite describe it, but it was as if she was staring right through the souls of the infected mortals. It was haunting. It's as if the Athena that we know just… banished. Somehow.” 

__________________________________________________________________

**_Year 670 BC_ **

_ Little Athena felt as if her life had been already set the moment she was born. Ever since she was just a toddler, her life evolved around countless and countless of papyruses- filled with such information and history that expanded her inherited wisdom more and more each day, to the point where she would collect toy blocks and rearrange them into small buildings. Her mind grew each second, as if it was a small planted seed already growing its roots to become something so beautiful, yet great. The buildings she used to construct with her toy blocks later on evolved into taller buildings same as her height, and before she knew it, she went up to her uncle. All the while she shyly held a blue scroll behind her as she gazed at her blue toes. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks, yet if it wouldn't have been for her skin color, Hades wouldn't be able to notice.  _

_ She didn't know what she was doing at that time. Now, as a developing child, she wanted to ask her uncle permission to do something. All her life, she wanted to have a purpose as a Goddess. She would see just how many mortals would serve under any God with such dedication and gratitude. By just seeing how proud and graceful these gods acted, she came to a realization; she wanted to be like them. She wanted to become someone great. Someone that everyone can admire her for.  _

_ She wanted a  _ **_city._ **

_ "Uncle Hades? Um…" The young, innocent deity uttered, letting her pet owl Ibid perch on her shoulder as she showed the blue scroll to the seemingly careless Uncle and King of Gods. "I um… I know what kind of Goddess I wanna be." _

_ "Huh. Really? And what would that be, hm?" Hades asked carelessly, lounging in his own throne as he gazed at his fingernails- which were oddly sharp, in her opinion. She would've expected for the King of Gods to maintain himself as simple and good looking and not someone… odd looking, like him. She thought what he had one was quite unfitting- the white curly wig, the pink toga, the sandals… it just didn't fit someone like him. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but for some reason, whenever she gazed at her uncle's appearance and clothing, something felt off. As if he wasn't supposed to have that on in the first place… _

_ Nevertheless, she knew that it wasn't respectful to question the king himself and just let it slide. She didn't want the thought to bother her that much since, well, she was still a child. She was still seeking for more wisdom and knowledge, after all. That was her duty to begin with; to become the Goddess of Wisdom once she is fully grown and ceased aging.  _

_ "I… I want to be a founder of a city! One named after me…" Athena stuttered at first, gazing at him for a brief moment before she gazed down. "But also, I… wanna be someone greater. Greater than the other gods. Maybe… I can gain another title?" _

_ "Well, Ena, kid." Hades sighed, stretching as he straightened himself in his own seat and spoke. "You can actually gain up to three titles in order to also be an Olympian. So it's fine by me. Now go ahead and tell me what you wanna be." _

_ "...The Goddess of Wisdom, War and, um… Athens." _

_ After she blurted out her answer, Hades was completely silent. His expression shifted, however. From a bored and uninterested one, to one that literally read 'well DAMN.' He gazed at the young, small deity, completely perplexed and caught off guard. Suddenly, before Athena decided to retreat her response and leave, the god before her smirked, chuckling as he rubbed his own chin and sat up. He began pacing around the room before his voice was finally heard.  _

_ "Now you're up on your game, aren't ya kiddo?" The god asked in amusement, smiling as he paused and extended his hand to her. "Y'know what- what the heck! I may be able to help ya out. You see, your dad down there in the Underworld, he kinda wanted me to help you out become a strong goddess." _

_ "Really?!" Athena gazed up, her eyes lit up as hope filled within her. Even her own dad supported her decision, despite the fact that they don't see each other often since he's, well… the Lord of the Underworld. She did feel sorry for him, though. Having to work in such a dark and gloomy place. No one ever knew, but sometimes, she would manage to sneak out of her room to the Underworld to visit her dad, spending some time with him, and even see how he does his work as the Lord of the Dead. For one, she wanted to help him. Perhaps, maybe if she does become an Olympian, she might as well probably convince Hades to get a replacement for Zeus and get him out of that forsaken place. Hell, she might even let Zeus get her title and just become the Mistress of Death herself if she changes her mind! She would really do anything to make her father happy and not sad all the time. She hated seeing him like this. She just… wanted to see him smile. Filled with so much hope.  _

_ Hope…  _

_ She just had to cling onto hope, no matter what.  _

_ However, she had to keep quiet about it. She couldn't just go around and expose the plan that she is scheming. It would only make Hades less willing to help her eventually. She had to play her cards right. Now, as she is speaking with her uncle on how he can help her become the Goddess she wants to be, she only hoped that Hades would be cooperative. She just wished that the hope within her wouldn't die out soon.  _

_ Oh, how she wanted to convince herself that her hope was permanent… _

_ \------------- _

**_Year 436_ **

**_The Tragedy_ **

Hope was just a false Utopia. That's what Athena now believed, at least. 

Meanwhile, despair was something… much more amusing and dreadful. Ever since her hopes had been crushed, she craved more of that despair. Not only for herself, but for everyone and  **Hades.** Oh, how she hated him. Because of him, and the damage he inflicted… nothing would be the same. She wouldn't be the same hopeful, innocent girl that she had been years ago, when she was more than determined to free her father from his misery. When she wanted to inspire mortals to worship her and her purpose. Thus, she still wanted mortals worshipping her, but not only her as a Goddess… but also, her despair. The despair that she had felt the moment the Lord of the Cosmos tainted and manhandled her mind. The moment that  **monster** gave her a taste of that despair. The Despair Disease that  **she** had created… and yet, he was the cause of it. The cause of her pain and misery, the cause of her desire for revenge and for all hope to be crushed.

Now, her city was tainted. It wasn't what she wanted initially. Gazing at it from afar as fire roared inside countless of buildings, blood was shed left to right, innocent and guilty lives were taken away mercilessly by themselves or by others, hope dying out as the screams of agony rang her eardrums, the screeches of mortals begging for any God to have mercy on them. To make this Despair Disease disappear. But yet… no one was coming. Because she made sure of it. This is not what she wished for at the beginning, but now, it's everything she's ever wanted! For everyone to feel the despair she went through. To realize that hope is just a stepping stone to despair and that it wasn't permanent, yet despair… despair was so much more. And she was more than willing to show it to everyone.

But then, even if the gods were completely unaware of what was occurring, unaware that she was the author of this chaos, unaware that the fake smile she wore wasn't filled with hope, but was filled with despair… only one of them had suddenly grown aware of her true persona. And she knew it. 

Ares…

He and his the city were next on her list.

_ End of chapter 1 _


	3. Chapter 3: Apocalypse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The disease was only beginning to spread... And someone close to Ares has been affected by it. 
> 
> \-------------------
> 
> A nightmare has disturbed Athena from her sleep once more. She doesn't know how long she will keep silent about her torture... Or how long she has to cover the scar on her head with that stupid helmet.

_ “Remember not to get too close the stars,  _

_ They’re never gonna give you love like ours.”  _

_ Billie Eilish - ilomilo  _

_ ______________________________________- _

_ Chapter 3: Apocalypse _

**_Year 436 BC_ **

Ares didn’t know where everything went wrong to begin with. He had assumed that everything between him and his sister was fine- that eventually, both city states no longer had to be at each other’s throats for any reason and that they could find a way for both Spartans and Athenians to connect with each other in terms of peace. Heck, even his own two sons were making an effort and cooperating by getting out of his temple and visiting some of their Athenian friends on a daily basis. Even if the two were not fully smart at first, they were making huge progress. Training with Hercules, enrolling at Prometheus Academy, getting the great news that they’ve been accepted to travel abroad to other academies after they graduate, the fact that Terror was now eligible to become the next Spartan Sergeant, and the other great news about Fear being the spokesperson for his and his sister’s city states, and how they were making more friends instead of just lacking around his temple doing almost nothing. He thought everything was fine. That his petty arguments with Athena were no more. He thought the next time he saw her, he was going to share some gossip about what has been going on with his tiny feud with Boreas, which she will probably be amused at. 

Boy, was he wrong now. 

Now, everything was going back to the way it was. But much worse.

Just a few days ago, Ares had received some grueling news. The moment he found out that there was a disease spreading through Greece and that it reached Athens didn’t bother him at first. He had thought it was a disease that would’ve passed away easily, since of course, some mortals _ are  _ creative when it came to finding cures. Thus, he had been proven wrong once again. Not that him being wrong yet again surprised him… but what he found out about this disease truly shocked him. The moment he was about to wave off the concern about this disease and go on with his day, one of the Spartan soldiers halted him. A grim look was shown on his face as he spoke firmly. 

“Sir. This disease might reach Sparta sooner than we expect. Apparently, it’s labeled “Despair Syndrome” or whatever name Hippocrates came up with. It’s… awful, to say the least. People are killing other people left and right. Others are even killing themselves while having this crazed look on their face. Well, at least that’s what your son said before…” 

“Hold up!” Ares suddenly cut him off. Turning towards the guard abruptly who yelped in surprise at his unexpected reaction. His son? Which one? And what about them? Did they see something? More importantly; are they okay? Surely, this syndrome, disease, or whatever it is can’t harm them, right? “What about my son? And which one?!” 

“F-Fear, sir. He came all the way from Athens, but… his brother was nowhere to be seen.” The guard stuttered. “Fear is at the temple now, however. He’s… injured. He said he saw everything that happened but--” 

“Close all the entrances to Sparta immediately!” Suddenly, the red god barked the order. “Tell your general to send a message to the King this instant! At this moment, Sparta must be on lockdown immediately! I’ll go check on my son and then send a message to every citizen. Now go!” 

“Y-Yes sir!” 

With that, the God of War wasted no time in teleporting all the way back to his temple. As he did, he tried to reach out to his sister telepathy. Hoping to get any news from Terror as well as the status of her own city. Hopefully, she knows what’s going on, right? 

_ ‘Egghead, do me a favor and answer me STAT! There’s this disease goin’ around and I need to know if Terror is okay. He’s in your city right now. And for the love of Hera, can you tell me what’s with this disease?!..... Ena? Athena? Can you hear me?!  _

He awaited for a few minutes for a response as he got to the doors of his temple and almost literally barged inside. Cursing under his breath, he quickly passed the halls of his own temple, which led him all the way to the entrance of the living room. As soon as he went inside the room and rushed down the steps, he called out to his son. “Fear! Are you here?! Where is Terror? What--” 

Suddenly, as he gazed up, he instantly swallowed his words when he saw an unexpected sight. There was his blond haired son sitting down, his back crouched as he hissed in pain while his wounds slowly healed. He saw many cut wounds and bruises on his legs and arms, and even a black eye. With him sat a pale skinned girl his age, with almost the same amount of injuries, yet she didn’t seem to be in any pain. Ares recalled the girl being Electra- one of his sons’ friends besides Hercules, Cassandra, Galatea, Tempest, and Icarus. Said girl was treating her own wounds as she had a crestfallen expression, all the while Fear was trying his best to heal his own as well, despite being in pain. Concerned, Ares went up to the two as he spoke. 

“What the hell just happened?! How did you get hurt?! Were you in a fight or what? And where is Terror?!” The god demanded to know. He tried to not be so pushy about it, but he couldn’t help it. His sister wasn’t answering his telepathic calls, a disease was going around which for some reason was making everyone kill each other, and Terror was nowhere to be seen. Not only that, but Fear and his friend were injured. Just what the Hell was going on?! 

Before the god could ramble on, Fear shifted his gaze up, seemingly hesitant to speak as he did so, his voice almost hoarse. “D-dad… we need to get back to Athens?” 

“What? Fear, what are you talking about?!” Electra snapped, removing the cloth away from one of her bleeding wounds. “There’s a literal genocide going on and you want to head back?! We’ll be killed- or worse, infected!” 

“Hey, I’m still here, you know!” Ares interrupted them, a frown plastered on his face as he crossed his arms. “Can someone explain what’s going on and why isn’t Terror here?” 

The two teens were silent at first. Gazing down as Fear’s shoulders shook for a brief second until he obtained the guts to speak. “Dad… I’m sorry. I-I couldn’t reach Terror on time. We were fine in Athens. Everything was fine. We were just… planning to hang out at our place after school. Me, Terror, Icarus, Cass, Galatea, Adonis, Helen, Tempest, Electra… we… wanted to celebrate our last day as seniors, but… something went wrong…” He cast his gaze down. Not even looking up at his father or Electra, who gazed away. His shoulder shuddered once more before he went on. “When….we were gonna embark a boat there….. The skies went… grey. We thought it was gonna rain, so we decided to just go to a nearby inn to spend the night, but… next thing I know, almost everyone stood still. All of the citizens in Athens… they stopped what they were doing and looked up and…. And…. next thing I knew…. There were people laughing, screaming, blood…” His voice began to break. Clutching his head as he almost curled up. 

For some reason, dread began to feel Ares. If he didn’t have such red skin, he would’ve visibly paled. “... What about your brother?” 

“... Terror was caught by the disease.” Electra mumbled as Ares turned to her. “We… none of us looked up except for him. When Tempest and Fear tried to snap him out of his trance… his eyes began to swirl. Just like Cassandra’s whenever she would have a vision… but it was different. He had a black and white slur.” She gulped a lump from her throat. “He was.... As if he was just seeing a dead body in front of him. Next thing we knew… people were at each other’s throats. Even some of them were killing themselves… it was a nightmare. And Terror… he tried to kill Fear.” She kept on. Shuddering as she hugged herself and cast her gaze down as well. “But before he could, Herc and Tempest held him down and told us to run. We… don't know where they are right now. They might still be there, dead, alive, infected… we don’t know. On our way to Sparta… There were other people infected trying to kill us. But we managed to pull through…” She then cupped her mouth, trying not to let a sob break through her. “I’m sorry, Lord Ares, but… Terror…”

The teen could no longer keep speaking as she gazed down. All the while Ares brought a hand to his own face as he tried to process everything in his head. The more he did, the more he felt nothing but dread and dismay fill within him. His son… it can’t be. He couldn’t have gone mad because of this disease. He refused to accept it. He was  _ Terror,  _ for his name’s sake! One of his mighty sons! There hasn’t been a single disease, infection, or condition that would affect him or his brother. They were half-mortal. They were HIS sons. And most of his Spartan soldiers and his sons had good immune systems… unless… what if this didn’t have to do anything with their immune system? What if this disease is something…? 

Not wanting to waste time dwelling and trying to figure out why and how this was all happening, Ares quickly retrieved his helmet and put it on, all the while he made sure that his sword and scabbard was still with him as he turned his heel to leave and spoke. “I’m heading to Athens right NOW. This place is gonna be on lockdown. You two stay here. Do NOT go anywhere unless I say so! There’s a ton of weapons and supplies down in the basement in case you need them. Also, if you can, pray and beseech for Athena. She’s not answering my calls.” 

“She isn’t?” Electra wide eyed. “Wouldn’t she know about what’s happening right now? I mean, it’s her city. She should know!” 

“I’m guessing that she would, but again, she hasn’t told me anything. I haven’t heard from her since yesterday, too.” Ares frowned, pausing at the exit of the living room before he turned to the two. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll go find her if I have to. Stay here while I go look for Terror and your friends.” With that being said, the god instantly left. 

____________________________________________________________

**Hours later…**

The sound of the wind rushing invaded her eardrums as she walked. Making sure her cloak still fully covered her as she walked endlessly through the woods. The faint screams of mortals from afar was still freshly recorded in her mind, nearly making her smile so sadistically. No wonder Hades took pleasure in her own pain… despair was  _ truly _ music to anyone’s ears. Even her own. What did nag her, however, was the fact that many mortals and even gods tried to call out for her aid. Oh, how she hated it. Those voices filled with nothing but desperation, begging, and whining… She just wanted them to stop, yet she knew better. 

She had to be patient. Very patient. 

She had to wait for the exact moment to make her entrance. Her plan was going along quite well, so far. Many mortals have been infected by the disease so far, including her own nephew. Terror. The fact only made her taste more despair, knowing that she had infected her own brother’s son with such disease… 

It was blissful. Perfect. 

And she only wanted to see and feel more despair. Hell, she wanted the whole cosmos to be plunged into her despair! 

She would’ve just taken Gaia’s blood and turned herself mortal before deciding to end her life, which would’ve brought many of her people and other Olympians to despair, but it wasn’t going to last for long, and that sure was  **boring.** Instead… she had spent decades coming up with a way to make despair a permanent thing- something that everyone could feel. That way, everyone could know the pain and agony she’s been for years since her childhood. And then, just when she was about to give up everything and let herself drown into her own pain without anyone knowing, a miracle came along. And that miracle was her own mother. 

She was going to owe a huge thanks to Metis once she succeeds in her plan fully. After all, she helped her create the disease. And the fun part was that it didn’t affect the immune system, yet it just played with anyone’s minds to the point where they would be driven to madness! In other words, the Despair Syndrome was incurable. There was no way anyone would cure this disease. 

Not as long as she keeps feeling despair. Which she will, forever and ever…

She was  _ not  _ going to feel hope. Not today, tomorrow, not even in a million years! 

Coming to a stop, the goddess gazed upwards, her blue hues now focused at a certain city below the mountains that she stood on. Smirking to herself, she could finally feel the taste of yet another despair breakout about to emerge. And what place could be better than Sparta, her own brother’s city state? Oh yes… Now, she was going to reach a whole new level of despair. She was going to witness her own brother’s despair once he finds out his city state will be in the same state as hers. 

And speaking of which… a voice spoke to her mind. Ares. 

_ ENA WILL YOU RESPOND TO ME?! I’ve been trying to reach to you for the last----!  _

_ Will you pipe it down?!  _ Athena suddenly scoffed, holding back the urge to roll her eyes. Gods, why can’t her brother take his voice down a little bit?  _ Listen… I had to run other errands. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to reach back to you. I just heard what is going on, but I won’t be able to go to my city right now to solve this issue. I promise I will explain everything once I finish what I’m doing. Now, I need to go. Watch Athens over for me.  _

_ Athena are you fucking serious?! Many people are in a genocide and my son is there!  _

_ Just do as I say, Ares! I can’t talk right now, just go!  _ Huffing in slight annoyance, Athena kept ignoring his voice as she covered her face and teleported away from the mountains. 

Now, time for her next step in her plan… 

‘

__________________________________________________________________

**_Year 670 BC_ **

_ “AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”  _

_ A child’s scream almost shook the entire cosmos as Hera gasped, sprinting out from her bed and not even caring about the fact that her husband was disturbed from his sleep. Concern quickly consumed her as she rushed through the halls of Mount Olympus. Trying to look for the source of the scream- and knowing fully well that it was one of the younger deity’s voices-, the Queen of Gods ran, her feet resonating through the halls until she stopped by a room. There, right in front of it, stood Apollo and Artemis, the two younger kids gazing in worry and concern before they noticed the older goddess as they perked up.  _

_ “M-Miss Hera,” Artemis squeaked, hugging her plush bear close as the young child gazed at the pink goddess in worry. “Athena is crying…”  _

_ “Athena?” Hera blinked, completely perplexed. It was odd for a child like Athena to be screaming at this time of the night. Unless she’s been having nightmares, which are odd, too, since she’s never had them when she was younger. Before she could speak, she heard sobbing coming from the room, followed by rapid footsteps as the door kicked open. Athena bolted from her room in tears, hugging Hera’s leg which caught the Goddess off guard, yet she didn’t push her away or anything. To see Athena cry was an odd sight as well… What was happening to her?  _

_ Suddenly, the blue haired girl sniffed, sobbing as she choked out. “I-I miss daddy… I want to see my dad…” _

_ The words and the sight of her crying made Hera’s heart drop as her face fell. Athena… she WAS having a nightmare. She could tell that she just had a nightmare, yet she didn’t want to talk about it. But what really made her more depressed and concerned is the fact that Athena hasn’t seen her biological father in years. Of course she was going to miss him… she hasn’t seen him in a while. And he does miss her, too. He just… couldn’t go to visit Olympus all because Hades restricted him from doing so. Which was really cruel and unfair.  _

_ Hera sighed, kneeling down to Athena’s level as she dried her tears away. Cupping her blue, puffy face into her pink hands. Hera gave her a gentle and calm smile as she spoke. “Now now, Athena. It was just a bad dream. I’m here now. Now, why don’t we tuck you back into your bead and I’ll read you a bedtime story, hm?” She then turned to the twins and spoke calmly. “You can go back to sleep, you two. Athena will be okay as long as I’m here. If you need anything, just come to me, okay?”  _

_ The two nodded quickly, with Artemis taking the lead and walking away, all the while Apollo smiled and waved at Athena. “Hope ya get better soon!” With that, the purple skinned boy rushed back to his room. Hera then carried Athena into her arms as they went to her room, closing it behind her,  _

_ Meanwhile, unknown to them, a younger Ares, along with Aphrodite and Hephaestus, gazed at the scene from behind a bush somewhere in Olympus.  _

_ “Did… she actually cried…” Hephaestus mumbled, his eyes blinking momentarily. “Did she have a nightmare?”  _

_ “A nightmare? Ya think?” Aphrodite wondered. Furrowing her petite brows as she cocked her head to the side, her pigtails slightly bouncing. “I never heard Athena talk about any of her nightmares before…”  _

_ “Why would she, though?” Hephaestus scratched his head. The boy unable to understand as to why a girl like Athena would just talk about a bad dream that she would have out of the blue. Aphrodite scoffed, pouting as she crossed her arms and spoke.  _

_ “Well, we have to let our feelings and thoughts out every once in a while, Heph! We can’t just keep them forever! Right Ares?... Ares?”  _

_ Ares paid zero attention to what they were saying. The red skinned boy’s brows furrowed as he gazed at his feet. He didn’t care much about his sister, but he did know one thing for sure…  _

_ This wasn’t the first time she’s had a bad dream. That, and the scar on her forehead was more prominent than the last time he saw it. Another thing was that the girl never showed up to play with them at the woods in the mortal realm, or at the training grounds in Olympus to watch the other gods fight. She didn’t even go to join them to the forge tonight to tell funny and scary stories- which was Hephaestus’ new home. The boy frowned.  _

_ Something was wrong with Athena. And he was going to find out, even if he didn't care for her and disliked her.  _

_ End of chapter 2  _


	4. Chapter 3: Calm Before the Storm; Despair Before the Carnage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Athena is about to discover her uncle's true intentions. Soon, she will realize that he was giving her a taste of the despair that he had been placing since the beginning without anyone knowing. Now, she will be more than determined to deliver the favor to him... 
> 
> Hercules struggles in deciding his future, yet decides that his father's life should not be based on dead souls. Yet... At least Athena agrees on something with the demigod.

_ “Was I stupid to love you?  _

_ Was I reckless to help?  _

_ Was it obvious to everybody else…  _

_ That I’ve fallen for a lie?  _

_ You were never on my side  _

_ Fool me once, fool me twice  _

_ Are you death or paradise?  _

_ Now you’ll never see me cry.  _

_ There’s just no time to die.”  _

_ Billie Eilish - No Time To Die  _

_ A/N:  _ **_TW_ ** _ : _ **_Blood, gore, and psychological torture will show up in this chapter. If you are sensitive to these things, stop reading now and skip this chapter. You have been warned._ **

_ __________________________________________________________________________ _

_ Chapter 3 - Calm Before the Storm; Despair Before the Carnage _

**_Year 671 BC_ **

_ “Alrighty, stop complaining already brat.” Hades frowned. All the while the child that was bound against the table beneath him whimpered. “You can’t tell me the effects of the anesthesia are wearing out already. You didn’t feel a pinch two hours ago when I was slicing your forehead up!”  _

_ Athena swallowed a whimper, clenching her fists as she felt her eyes begin to wallow up with tears. The teen tried to suppress a cry when she felt ichor and blood trickle down the bridge of her nose. Suddenly, before she could manage to feel the pain of her head being wide open, Hades had already finished stitching it up. Hearing the light metal clatter of the needle clang against the table next to him which had bloodied, surgical tools of any kind. The bluenette hissed, feeling the stitches itch against her skin slightly as Hades cleaned up the remaining blood and ichor off from her. Once he was done, Athena could already feel her wound closing up thankfully. Thus… when she sat up to look at herself in the mirror, her gaze dropped.  _

_ The scar was still there.  _

_ No matter how many times she would try to heal it, even after Hades would just mess and toggle with her brain, the scar was still there. And it bothered her. She was a GODDESS. She shouldn't have any scars of sort or any type of permanent wounds, amputations, or anything like that. So why? Why was the damn scar still there?!  _

_ Suddenly, rage and anger filled her as she suddenly sat up from the table once Hades undid her binds. All the while the god just waved a dismissive hand at her and took a scroll, writing down something while she glared daggers at him and finally found the guts to speak at him. "How is this helping me, Hades?"  _

_ The Lord of the Cosmos arched an eyebrow. Seemingly offended that she was starting to doubt his trust as he replied. “Athena, babe, listen here.” He began. Removing his own gloves as he placed the tools aside and spoke. “I’m just trying to help you expand your wisdom more, y’know? I mean, you DO want to be the Goddess of War, right? And then, there’s your brother who wants to be one, too! A little competition wouldn’t hurt now, am I right?”  _

_ “I don’t care about that!” Athena snapped. Suddenly, she took the scroll away from his hands which made him yelp in utmost surprise. The blue haired Goddess scowled, gesturing at the scroll in her hand as she took a step back. “All I want is to keep developing my own wisdom and know that I can trust you. You never show me what you write in these scrolls every time you examine my brain! And that’s not all.” She let a sneer take over her facade, pointing a finger at her temple. “I’ve been having  _ **_nightmares_ ** _ since you started this. And I’m going to find out why.” Suddenly, before Hades could stop her, she teleported away back to her own room.  _

_ Needless to say, it was a big mistake disobeying Hades, out of all people. Especially when he doesn’t get what he wants…  _

_ As soon as she appeared in her dorm, Athena felt her head almost spin. This only made her groan and hiss as she clutched her head. Ibid, who was just minding his own business inside his opened cage, noticed and instantly flew to her shoulder, letting out a concerned coo. Rubbing her eyes, Athena recognized the small weight placed on her shoulder and reassured her little companion, rubbing his head.  _

_ “I’m fine, Ibid… I’m okay.” She smiled almost weakly before she turned to her bed. Suddenly kneeling down as she recollected the scrolls that she had managed to snatch away from Hades’ room and placed them in a bag. “I need to find out what exactly he’s up to----”  _

_ “Hey, Athena?” The goddess stopped talking to herself when she heard a feminine voice behind her door, freezing in her place as she quickly closed the bag. “Apollo invited us to go to Hephie’s forge and hang for a bit. Artemis, Ares, and Hermes are gonna be there, too. You down?”  _

_ Athena swallowed, cursing under her breath as she tried to find a reasonable excuse to not go. She had actually forgotten that today was the twins’ birthday- and that they all decided to celebrate it somewhere else other than Olympus. Of course, Aphrodite, who was the planner of their birthday event, stated that she would tell them once she decides where to spend it. There’s also the fact that they all had to wait until Athena was finished with her daily ‘appointment’ with Hades, That is, if she could call it that way of course.  _

_ At this point, she didn’t know if ‘appointment’ was the same as Hades slicing up her forehead with a scythe, putting her under a good amount of anesthesia to numb the pain, feeling him poke several tools inside her brain, and even attempting to open it once and retrieve a flesh tissue that he wanted to acquire for “research” purposes. She didn’t know what was the need of him doing all of this… it always hurt, even if he would numb the pain and even if the stitches would disappear once he sewed her forehead back.  _

_ And the fun part was that she couldn’t reveal the scar that he made ‘on accident’ when she had her first “appointment” with him. Ever since then, she had to use either the bangs of her hair, her own helmet, or the bandana that she would wear along with her regular swimsuit whenever she was invited to any kind of pool party. Especially if it is her father’s- which she didn’t mind going to (and as long as it wasn’t the River of Forgetfulness…)  _

_ Speaking of her father… maybe he can help!  _

_ Sighing, she had no choice but to disappoint Aphrodite- and probably the other teen deities. “I’m sorry, Aphrodite, but I can’t go… I just came from my appointment and I really need to study for tomorrow’s lesson.”  _

_ “... Oh. Right. I kinda forgot.” Aphrodite let out a nervous chuckle. “Ares actually told me that you would be out of that appointment by now. I bet you feel tired, too, so… I’ll let you rest for today, okay? See ya! Get well!”  _

_ “Thank you.” Athena replied, hearing her footsteps until they had faded away. Taking a deep breath, Athena sighed, standing up as she made sure that the scrolls inside the bag were concealed. She hated that she had to teleport yet again now. Whenever she did, especially when Hades would recently close her head up, she would see flashes in her vision, her own vision getting blurred, and in some cases, she would fall unconscious. This would also be followed up by any kind of disturbing dream that would make her wake up in the middle of the night and not sleep at all. Thankfully, she had ambrosia and caffeine, which was the good part and it didn’t even make her get sleep deprivation, but yet… it still bothered her. She had to talk to someone she can trust. Now that she had managed to recollect all the hidden scrolls Hades had related to her appointments, she could seek help. See if what Hades was doing was really helping her wisdom being expanded…  _

_ Before she could think twice, Athena teleported away from her room, to the Underworld. Hopefully no one would see her and question why was she visiting her father (even if it wasn’t any of their business. I mean, Zeus is her DAD, for Hera’s sake).  _

____________________________________________________________________________

**_Year 435_ **

**_A Year Before the Tragedy_ **

“Oi, c’mon you dumbasses! If we all want to pass our board exams, we have to study!” Tempest huffed. Crossing her arms as she and her other classmates sat at one of the public food courts. “I get it- we’re about to graduate in a year, but we’ll talk about our plans later.” 

“Gee, what got you wanting to study for this all of the sudden?” Galatea smirked, taking a bite from her gyro as she sat between Cassandra and Adonis. “I heard that the boarding exams aren’t that bad. As long as you’ve been paying attention to all of your classes, that is…” 

“Which I STILL suck at, thank you very much.” Fear huffed, leaning back against his chair as he took a sip from his smoothie. Hercules deadpanned beside him, crossing his arms as he spoke. 

“Hey now, you got an Alpha plus on our last Trigonometry exam. And you didn’t even study for it.” 

“Math isn’t that hard. Relax!” 

“Says someone who almost cheated during a table game with Athena’s pet owl.” 

“Wha- hey!” Fear narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger at him. “That was a one time thing only! And I’m a man of good now. No cheating on exams, table games, or any of that.” 

“Welp, let’s see how he’ll do when it comes to relationships.” 

“... I’ll pretend like you never said that, Terror.” 

The others only laughed, all the while they kept chatting while Tempest couldn’t stop talking about the board exams as she huffed. She ran a hand across her hair as she spoke. “Guys, listen. The boarding exams are a HUGE deal for me. I really want to become an Amazonian warrior, but I also want approval for one of the academies I applied for.” 

“You’re still going to further your education after we graduate?” Electra arched an eyebrow, closing up her own book and placing it aside. “I thought you decided not to?” 

“Well I changed my mind, but hear me out.” Tempest began as she cleared her throat. “There’s this law school that is in need of interns to further their own career and later on be present with actual lawyers and testify against abusers and all those people.” 

“Whoa there, hold the phone!” Icarus paused her, almost slamming his drink on the table as his jaw dropped. “You want to be a lawyer?! But you’re a good fighter!” 

“Well, it doesn’t hurt to have a double life.” Tempest shrugged. “I mean… it’s what I really want. I want my parents to be proud of me, but at the same time, I just… I dunno. I want to try something different.” 

“Oh, I understand.” Galatea smiled. “At first, I really wanted to become a model for Aphrodite’s clothing line, but after some thought, I… I think I want to be an artist. I mean, I’m not too worried about the board exams since it’s not required for what I want to be.” 

“Well, I’m still aiming for the next Spartan general’s position.” Terror stated. “And now that things have changed between Aunt Athena and dad’s feuds, I DO need to pass that board exam as well so I can officially qualify.” 

“I still want to be an ULTIMATE INVENTOR!” Icarus piped up, a grin plastering on his face as he balled his fist up. “Just watch- I’ll show off my latest inventions to the Mouseion of Alexandria! And once I am accepted, you’ll see me at the top of my class!” 

“Speaking of which, I heard that a lot of students want to do engineering as their career and want to go there.” Adonis stated, arching a questioning brow as he leaned against his own seat. “Is it really that good as other people say? I heard that there are no parties. Like, at all.” 

“Well, first of all, it’s literally in Egypt. So I’m not sure how their culture works back there.” Hercules began as he scratched the back of his head. “Second, I think many of the best engineers and scientists that live here in Greece came from there, so I think that’s why many people want to go there.” 

“That’s if you’re an engineer and inventor freak.” Adonis mumbled between his breath, rolling his eyes. Helen scolded him, however, elbowing his ribs as he yelped and sat up. “Ow! What was that for?!” 

“Icarus can be anything that he wants. As long as he’s happy with it.” Helen refuted. “And so does everyone else here. I mean, guys, come on. We just all became friends like, five months ago? And we’re almost going to graduate in a YEAR. Which means we probably won’t see each other afterwards. I’m gonna take my mother’s throne once I turn twenty, Adonis and I will get married, Temp already said that she’s gonna be a lawyer, Galatea is going to be an artist- we’re all gonna go our own way eventually.” 

“True, true. BUT-” Fear made them pause, smirking as he pointed a finger up. “That won’t stop any of us from planning reunions when we’re all in our thirties.” 

“Can’t lie. He’s telling the truth.” Hercules chortled. “Next thing we know, we’ll each have an invitation from Adonis inviting us for “dinner.” 

“More like getting drunk and wasted and telling our deepest secrets while drunk.” Adonis smugly said.

“OOOOOOOOH, we should do that!” Galatea beamed. “How about on my eighteen birthday next week?” 

“Wait… you’re eighteen? But Aphrodite created you like what, a year ago?” Cassandra blinked. Galatea paused, blinking before she chuckled. 

“It’s complicated. You’ll understand later.” 

The group kept on chatting as Hercules sighed, diving deep into his own thoughts. He himself was doubting what he wanted to be lately. To be frank, he was the product of an  _ affair-  _ an affair Hades instantly forgave, for some reason. Thus, the now demigod couldn’t place a finger on the fact that his uncle decided to turn him half mortal and restrict him access from Olympus to see his mother. He could’ve just sent him to the Underworld along with his father and only see his mother on occasion, but yet… Hades wasn’t pleased with that option. Sure, his goal was to become a hero and eventually a God, but he knew that if he did, he wouldn't be able to get access to Olympus still. He would move in with his father, at least… but his father was miserable living there. He hated his job and his life. All Hercules wanted was to help him get out of that shithole and find a replacement. He could  _ sense  _ the potential and power from his father. He could become something more than just the Lord of the Underworld. Being in such a miserable position definitely did not suit him at all. He just… lived alone in the Underworld. No social life, no purpose (other than judging the dead and all)... nothing. All he had in this life were his children; himself, Athena, Ares, and Hephaestus. Four of them who would often come to visit during their spare times. 

Hercules took a deep breath. Hearing as his friends planned a night out next weekend during Galatea’s birthday as he only gave a smile and a nod. Reassuring them that he would also be going right after he visited his father that day. And speaking of which… he  _ could _ stop by now, as well. Phil wasn’t going to get mad at him for being late for training. After all, the satyr knew how much his father meant to him, so he understood. As he waved goodbye at his friends, he immediately rushed off, heading to his destination. 

He would do  _ anything  _ for his father to live a happy life. Anything. 

Luckily, he wasn’t the only one who felt that way… but would do more than just confront Hades. 

_______________________________________________________________________

  
  


**Hours later…**

Footsteps could be heard inside a dark, lonesome temple. A figure stood behind her own statue, gazing down at the floor with a dull expression. She did not bother to look who was approaching. After all, visitors would only come to roam around and leave. Nothing special about that, after all. She was just a minor goddess, like any minor deity who did not reside in Mount Olympus, nor was not a part of the council. She was just.... Another waste of space, as mortals call it these days. Her dark, long black hair rested at the end of her shoulder blades, all the while her ominous hazel orbs would just gaze down at the floor every time. Her skin lacked any sunlight, letting it being pale and white as the snow that would rarely come nowadays, whenever Persephone felt as if it was necessary for mortals to take a break from the hot summers and springs. As the goddess of misery, depression, and all the negatives… she did not have a purpose. She was just a mere individual witnessing the world’s history. Unlike other gods and minor gods, her temple was not seen anywhere, other than in the middle of nowhere, deep in the woods of Thebes. It was shallow and silent the entire time, other than the sounds of echoing footsteps that would appear, all the while she hid and did nothing. She huffed, wondering why she even existed in the first place. Everything in this world was dull. She just wanted to seek a purpose- some sort of drive, anything. Yet with the title that she has gained as a minor goddess and the fact that all the gods had a negative impression of her, it did not help her situation. Not even the slightest. 

If only she knew that only one of them was going to give her a purpose… 

“Oizys? Are you here?” A feminine voice suddenly spoke. Oizys sat up, her eyes blinking momentarily as she let out a questioning noise. No one has ever said her name in… years. Only her parents and the other gods knew her name, but the gods never bothered saying it. How did… how did this individual know her name, let alone search her temple?

Suddenly, she received the shock of her life in an instant. 

“I am Athena, Goddess of War and Wisdom. I know you may not know me or anything… but I do, dear.” She heard the voice speak again, and Oizys could feel her jaw almost dropped. Out of all people, why was Athena here? Of course she knew her. She was the patron goddess of Athens, plus she was known for having feuds with her brother every now and then… but for her to come here and greet her? What did she want, anyways? 

Blinking, she let her own instincts guide her. Oizys swallowed, the short, skinny goddess recollecting herself as she sat up and dusted off her indigo-colored toga. She let her aura surround her, signaling the other goddess that she, indeed, was here. Slowly, Oizys walked out of her hiding spot, tilting her head slightly as curiosity got the best of her. And, as she almost expected, Athena stood there, along with her owl companion already perched on her shoulder. 

Oizys sometimes imagined what the Goddess of Wisdom and child of Metis would look like. Indeed, just like her parents said, she was almost a spitting image of her mother, with the exception of her hair color and style. She was… stunning, least to say. Of course, she would’ve also expected that. However, as Oizys looked closer, something looked off. 

Athena had a rare smile on her face. Not the sarcastic, prideful, and almost mocking smile that most gods say that she would have whenever she wins during any argument of sorts. This one was… different. She couldn’t quite tell, but it was as if the blue goddess before her was scheming something,  _ wanting  _ something. But she didn’t know what it was. 

And boy, she wanted something alright. 

“Um… I-I heard of you before. But… How do you know my name? And how did you find me?” The young goddess wondered. Athena only smiled, her eyes almost glinting with… something that she couldn’t quite word out. She definitely could not read this goddess’ expression or body language at all. She was supposed to be formal, serious when introducing herself, and polite. At least, that’s what she heard from other people who had met her before. So… why was she behaving this way? 

Before she could keep speaking, Athena spoke first. “That’s not important for now. You see… I heard that you are alone and bored.” The bluenette began, her tone calm as she stroked her owl’s head gently with her index finger. The deity then continued, and for a moment, Oizys thought that she saw something change in her eyes… “However, I want to make an offer for you… do you want to help me dethrone Hades?” 

____________________________________________________________________________

**_Year 436_ **

**_Despair_ **

  
  


“I did it… WE DID IT!” Oizys couldn’t move or speak as she heard laughter surround her hearing. Her jaw almost dropped as she gazed down from the temple she and Athena stood. The sight before her… it was something that was far gruesome than what she saw back at Rhodes. Of course, at this point, she was getting used of seeing blood and organs splattering almost everywhere, but this… this was literally suicide. 

She was as people- mortals- screamed and ran around, some of them trying to survive, while others just took pleasure in taking other lives before also taking their own. Well, some of them at least. The others were just enjoying this. Watching as others fell into more despair by watching other people getting killed in many ways. Stabbed, choked, their bodies being sliced, throats being sliced open as if they were cutting up animals for livestock… it was… quite the sight. 

Before Oizys knew it, a smile formed her face. Hearing Athena laugh once more as she beamed, gazing at the goddess. “Now you won’t mind if the gods find out now?”

“Oh, screw the gods! They’ll soon be infected anyways!” Athena laughed. “Once they see Hades fall into despair and me successfully plunging the world until it’s nothing, they’ll all know what true despair is. I must hand it to you, though… your power did serve me right.” Athena smirked, gazing at her own hands. 

Oizys smiled, feeling a faint blush at the praise. No one has ever shown her such gratitude like Athena, indeed. It was… flattering. “Well, I am the Goddess of Misery, for a reason.” 

“Oh, come on now, don’t say it like it’s nothing!” Athena giggled, throwing her helmet away. “Ah… it feels good. Watching my brother’s city starting to collapse. This  _ is  _ true despair…” 

“Yes… indeed, it is.” Oizys mused, her eyes gazing down as she watched one of the infected mortals laugh as they stab a poor, sane mortal several times, all the while blood was being splattered on their face. “This is what despair is all about…” 

Athena chuckled, bringing a hand to her mouth as she grinned from ear to ear. Oizys simply kept on watching, sitting down as she placed a hand under her chin. “So… what will happen next? Once the gods find out, they’ll be at our throats.” 

“As despairing and tempting, I won’t let my despair die down, Oizys, dear.” Athena gave her a knowing smile. “I actually… have been having a plan this whole time. The gods will not know that we’re behind this. Yet. We will head towards father first. He must be wondering why so many souls are arriving at the Underworld at once. Then… I’ll get him out of that boring hellhole Hades put him in.” Athena chuckled darkly, as she kept on. “And then, I will make sure that he does become Lord of the Cosmos… just like as it should’ve been in the first place.” 

“And what of Hades?” 

“Hades? Oh please. He’ll be suffering a whole eternity in the Underworld. That… or I can just keep him prisoner and torture him! I dunno. I might think about it. But…” Athena gazed up, a hand rubbing her chin as she still maintained the sadistic, cruel smirk on her lips. “As for my beloved siblings… I have something special stored for them. Including lovely Aphrodite, and Ares… After all, four Deities of Despair work better than two.” 

**_To be continued…_ **


	5. Announcement/Question!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE UNDER THE CUT!

Hello! To whoever is reading this and is getting quite hooked up with the story, thank you so much. I really appreciate the support and all. I've been also having this thought lately due to certain reasons relating to The Animated Series.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: 

Should I host a Discord server that is served mainly to talk about the Animated Series? 

If you guys agree to this idea, you are free to let me know! The Discord Server will serve as a line of communication for chapter updates on this fic, discussions about the show, the characters, character and ship appreciation, any kind of AU, memes (bc why not), etc. 

If you are interested PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I will be more than happy to create the Discord. 

Thank you all! 

\- Ghostofawarrior


	6. Chapter 4: I Will Save You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Athena sees an unexpected sight. The person she is seeking to be in the future... Is not who she actually wants to be. 
> 
> Ares suddenly knows everything. To his misfortune... He found out way too late.

**_“I’ve stroked the fire, seen more pain that you can know._ **

**_The tears of the broken have washed away my soul._ **

**_Pushed by desire to change the way my stream will flow_ **

**_Now I’ve awoken, and I’m taking back control.”_ **

**_H8 Seed ft. WoodenToaster - Awoken_ **

_______________________________________________________________________

Chapter 4: I Will Save You 

**_Year 671_ **

_ Athena panted, almost dropping the bag of scrolls from her shoulder as she nearly felt herself grow more dizzier by the second. She felt her head spin yet again as her vision blurred, holding herself against the rocky wall to prevent her from falling. Damn it, it was getting worse again. Whenever she had to teleport right after Hades finished poking at her brain and messing with it, this happened. Every single time. It also didn’t support the fact that she was now seeing flashes of a certain figure- a female one, that is. And the odd thing was that said figure looked like… her.  _

_ The goddess froze for a moment, her gaze paused as she almost took a step back, yet still found herself leaning against the wall. The woman before her had this familiar aura… as if she knew her somehow. She gazed at her features, almost stunned by her identical blue orbs and skin. The only difference from the woman was her hair. It was a darker shade of blue and tied in a bun. The woman’s figure and facial features were almost identical to hers, which made Athena almost pale as realization slowly came upon her. The woman only offered what looked like a sad, yet warm smile. The kind of smile Hera would give her as a… mother figure.  _

_ Suddenly, before she knew it, all fell into place as she reached a hand out. “...Mother…?”  _

_ However, before she could touch her, the image faded. Replaced by a more unprecedented sight. She paused, blinking as she cleared her vision. She was… in her room. But for some reason, however, it didn’t feel the same. It didn’t have the same peaceful aura that would emit whenever she walked in. This time, although it was still silent, it was… ominous. Looking around, she heard Ibid squeak in alarm at her as he frantically brushed a feather in her direction. She gazed at him in question, wondering what had him so desperate. “What’s wrong Ibid?”  _

_ Ibid only whimpered, making himself smaller as he pointed at his left. Blinking, Athena didn’t even ask him further as she slowly turned to where he was pointing. As soon as she did, her face almost fell.  _

_ She gazed herself at a mirror. Her reflection… she wasn’t the same teenage goddess that she’s supposed to be. She was much more mature, physically. Yet… she was different. Her hair was longer, she wore a grey toga that reached to her knees, only showing off one of her bare shoulders. She still had her cuffs, yet they were black, which combined with the thin belt around her waist. She also noticed the fact that she was showing off her scar, despite the fact that it was partially covered by the bangs of her hair. What also caught her off guard was her own eyes. They were still blue, of course… but there was a swirl in them. A swirl that she couldn’t----  _

_ Suddenly, before she could continue on with her train of thoughts, she heard her own voice echo inside her head with a cynical laugh. A laugh that vibrates every inch of her head and made her cry out, clutching her head and almost curl up. Ibid noticed her frantic state, letting out noises of alarm as he flew around her and tried to make her snap out of it. Athena groaned, still hearing the voice in her head laugh sinisterly and loudly before it spoke.  _

**_‘This is what you always wanted, Athena… Now the whole world will be below you, just like you’ll plan! You will get your revenge against Hades… you’ll have that bittersweet taste of despair before you know it!’_ **

_ Athena let out a cry of pain as she kept her head clutched. Her eyes closed shut as she tried to fight off the voice inside her head. She shook her head wildly. No… this isn’t what she wanted! She just wanted to be the Goddess of Wisdom and War! She didn’t want…  _

_ Despair…  _

_ It was such a strange, yet somehow curious term to her, for some reason…  _

_ Despair…  _

_ Why did that simple word suddenly catch her attention?  _

_ Suddenly, she came to her senses as she wide eyed and sat up, looking around her room with a scowl as she spoke loud and clear. “Stop! Who are you?! Show yourself this instant!”  _

**_‘Oh, such a naive, foolish girl…’_ ** _ The voice chuckled darkly, making her spine chill as she clenched her teeth.  _ **_‘You remind me of myself when I was your age… oh, what am I saying? I AM you! You just don’t know it yet!’_ **

_ Her jaw dropped at the statement, her vision blurring yet again as she attempted to get ahold of herself. What was… she saying?  _

_ It can’t be. That voice… that’s not-  _

**_‘I am you. The Goddess of Wisdom, War… and Despair.’_ **

_ And just like that, her vision went pitch black.  _

_ ________________________________________________________________________ _

**_Year 436_ **

**_True Despair_ **

Ares gritted his teeth, trying his best to cover himself with a cloak and hide within the buildings of Athens- out of all places. He made sure his sword was still with him, even if he could summon it as many times as he liked. He gazed at the scenery before him, and to be frank, he was truly shocked. As the God of War, he was already used to seeing mortals die left and right, blood being spilled like a water fountain, organs and intestines being shown off to the entire world to see, heads flying off, and hearing the mortals cry for mercy. That is, only when he and his army were fighting against an evil and brutal force that would threaten his or any of his allied gods’ authorities. This also applied to his own Spartans. He was always true to his name, of course; if anyone messed with his Spartans, they messed with him, their god. There was no in between. He wouldn't even hesitate in killing someone if he had to protect those who deserved mercy. 

But this… this was the opposite of what he intended. 

Mortals were dying left and right, whereas others laughed mercilessly and killed as if the world was coming to its brutal end. Some of them were even taking drastic measures to get rid of themselves, such as getting caught on fire, falling off from higher buildings… This was insane. This fight had no purpose. It was just a literal path of genocide with no meaning. Nothing more, nothing less. 

Ares didn’t even dared to gaze up at the sky, as he gazed at a seemingly sane mortal from afar trying to escape the apocalypse. However, the mortal made the biggest mistake in casting his gaze up. As soon as he did, the red skinned god saw as the mortal’s frame suddenly froze, not even moving a single finger. Feeling himself growing tense, Ares slowly looked up at the man’s face- and that’s when he saw it. 

His eyes began to spin. Tears were slowly falling from them as the man’s expression shifted from a neutral one, to one that was filled with nothing but dread. 

Before Ares could do anything, the mortal suddenly looked around, his shoulder shaking as laughter began to erupt from his chest. It wasn’t a joyful laughter, but it was rather an empty, cruel one. Ares almost wanted to stop him, but he couldn’t move. He was too shocked. This… this was the Despair Disease one of his soldiers warned him about. 

And now, this mortal was already infected. It was too late. 

Before he could do anything, the mortal suddenly took out a knife from beneath his robe. Everything before him happened in slow motion as Ares paled. And before he knew it, the man slit his own throat open. Blood splattering everywhere as he collapsed on the floor on his own pool of red, all the while the chaos around him went on. 

A gasp almost escaped him as he suddenly snapped himself to reality. His son, Terror… Fear said that he was infected. Dread and desperation began to fill him once again as he suddenly bolted away from his hiding spot, not even caring who was seeing him. As he did, he suddenly spoke telepathically, hoping to get some response from his sister. She just HAD to know her city was in a state of emergency! She owned this city! She would’ve sensed this coming! Why wasn’t she doing anything?! 

Suddenly, before he spoke, Aphrodite’s voice suddenly came to his head. 

_ Ares, can you hear me?! Where is Athena?!  _

_ That’s what I’m trying to find out! I can’t find her!  _

_ What is going on?! Zeus just reported that there are way too many souls entering the Underworld and that he’s trying to control it! Hades is going down there to help him. Please don’t tell me this isn’t another Trojan-- _

_ No, it’s not another war. You know that ‘Ena and I ended our feuds a year ago. _ Ares sighed and gritted his teeth, trying to break inside an abandoned building to save himself.  _ Listen, I don’t have all the time in the world. Terror is in Athens and there is a genocide going on here. All I can say is that there’s a disease going on and it’s causing all the mortals to kill each other AND themselves. _

_ What?! How is that possible?! We should’ve known this before! Maybe Hades can do something about this?  _

_ I don’t know, but I’m trying to get a hold of Athena. Listen… I know you care about her. A lot. And so do I. I wasn’t the best brother to her back then when we had our fights and all… but now, I’m trying to change for the better. Not only for her, but for you, Fear and Terror. Please, find her while I look for my son and explain what’s going on.  _

_ … Okay, I’ll try. And Ares? Be careful.  _

_ No promises, but I’ll try.  _

Grunting, Ares managed to pry open a wooden door and immediately walked in. As soon as he did, he gazed up and froze. 

His whole world began to fall apart. There, surrounded by Hercules, Tempest, Icarus, Galatea, and Cassandra, was none other than Terror. And he had a deep stab wound in his chest. It… It wasn’t healing at all. He was uncontrollably bleeding, all the while his friends tried to make the bleeding cease and hopefully save him. His skin paled and his blood almost boiled, a lump nearly forming in his throat until Hercules noticed his presence and quickly went up to him. 

“Ares! You need to help him!” The demigod desperately cried out, quickly pulling him towards his own son. “H-He was infected. We tried to stop him from killing anyone! But… he got stabbed and…” 

“Move. Now! Make space!” Ares cut him off, shooing the other teens away as he knelt next to his son. His hand glowed as he placed it on his son’s chest, which caused the blood to suddenly disappear and his wound close up in a flash. Thus,Terror was still partially unconscious, groaning in pain as his head lolled to the side. Ares shook his shoulders, trying to make him snap into reality. 

“Terror, are you okay? Can you hear me? It’s me, your dad. I’m here!” 

Terror didn’t respond at first. His gaze still lost somewhere as Ares tried to get his son to look at him and get his attention, hoping that the infection from the disease was gone. “Terror, talk to me. I know you’re still in there. What happened? What did you see that got you infected?” 

“... Aunt Athena…” 

“What?” Ares furrowed his brows. Wondering how Athena was involved. She didn’t know all of this was going on. Unless… 

“... She… wants for us… to be in despair…” Terror croaked out. His eyes suddenly showed the swirl in them as Ares paled. Shit! He was still infected! “Hades made her suffer in pain… for years… and she tried to hide it… until now… Oizys… helped her… we… we can’t be saved, dad… I’m… I’m falling…” Ares heard his son suddenly let out a low, hollow laugh. His face suddenly dropped. No… this can’t be happening… 

“Dad… kill me… please…” 

“Terror, what the  _ fuck?!”  _ Tempest suddenly roared, trying to get to him but Hercules and Galatea halted her. “We’re not letting you die! Snap out of it! We can still save you! We’ll find a way!” 

“T-Tempest is right!” Galatea squeaked. “We’ll still all graduate together!” 

“Come on, bud, don’t give up now!” Icarus desperately begged, tears swelling up his eyes. “We can still fight this! There’s gotta be a way!”

“Terror, you need to hang on. For your family’s sake.” Cassandra added, holding Galatea’s hand as she comforted the female brunet who was on the verge of tears. “For… for hope’s sake.” 

“...Hope… huh?” Terror suddenly mumbled. Ares watched as his son let out a sad, empty smile, speaking as he gazed at the genocide going on outside. “Hope… is a false utopia… that’s what  _ she  _ showed us…” Suddenly, Terror’s face fell, his voice suddenly fading as his last breath was suddenly taken away. Ares suddenly froze at this. His son was no longer breathing… this… this… 

“Terror?! TERROR WAKE UP!” Ares suddenly snapped. Shaking his son’s frame all the while the other teens watched in horror. Galatea broke down in Cassandra’s arms, all the while Tempest and Icarus gazed in shock and disbelief. Hercules almost shook, trying to process what was happening as he cast his gaze down. Ares still tried to wake his son up. He didn’t care what was happening, or who was watching. Terror, his son… he couldn’t die! He had so much to live for! His future! His friends! 

He was just starting to be a better father for him and his brother… 

And now… he’s gone. 

It didn’t matter if he healed him from his wound… he somehow died. The Despair Disease… took him away. 

Realization crashed upon him all of the sudden like a cold bucket of water. Athena… she did know this was happening. She was aware of the Despair Disease all along. 

Because  _ she  _ was the cause of it. 

Because Hades somehow drove her to it. 

He… he couldn’t do anything to stop it. Because he didn’t know! Athena was way too good in hiding her feelings every single time. He did know that, because they’re siblings, for Hera’s sake. However, he never knew that Hades somehow scarred her… and caused her to do all of this. 

As he mourned his son, tears fell from his eyes. Hugging his corpse close to him, he began to lose himself into his own anger, angst, and disbelief. Terror… his son… he was now gone. Fear… he was going to be alone without his brother… he couldn’t save him. 

And now, Athena… 

She only wanted the world to collapse. All because she suffered by Hades’ hand. 

He just didn’t know why Athena didn’t say anything. She  _ trusted  _ him AND Aphrodite the most! Why couldn’t she just tell them?! They could’ve done something to make Hades stop! Just why?! 

Filled with rage and ~~despair~~ , Ares let out a roar, suddenly punching the wall. 

He failed to save his son… but he  _ had  _ to save his sister and stop this disease, no matter what… even if he was filled with agony and ~~despair~~. 

He had to keep on moving. Because that’s what being the God of War and Sparta was all about. Moving forward, despite the scars and wounds… right? 

Right? 

**_END OF CHAPTER 4_ **

**_SNEAK PEEK FOR A FUTURE CHAPTER…_ **

_ “Oh yes…” Athena grinned maliciously at them, watching as the two gods struggled in their chains. “You’re just where my vision of Despair was missing! You two are gonna raise it to a whole new level of despair!”  _

_ “Athena… no… we can still fix all of this...”  _

_ “You still have us! You don’t have to do this, damn it!”  _

_ “Oh, but I want to… so I can make Hades pay, and learn that he can’t play with fate.” Athena cooed, suddenly standing up from her throne as she walked up to them and got on her knees, raising their chins up as she forced them to look at her. “And besides… you two are too…  _ **_special_ ** _ to me. Once I show you what despair is all about… you’ll adore me more.”  _

  
  



	7. Chapter 4: Despairing Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hades pays the price as soon as his brother confronts him, who is in a... Strange state, just like the other mortals. 
> 
> Athena has a request for both Aphrodite and Ares... But will they accept? Can they still save Athena if they accept?

**_“Mama, they say I’m a terrorist_ **

**_What?_ **

**_I did nothing wrong, but I got on a black list._ **

**_Mama, they say I’m a terrorist_ **

**_Why?_ **

**_If doomsday is coming- I’m not going to heaven...“_ **

**_IC3PEAK - TRRST_ **

**_\-----------------_ **

_ Chapter 4: Despairing Encounter  _

  
  


**_Year 436_ **

**_Taking the Crown Back_ **

Hades wanted to burst in annoyance as he summoned himself within the Underworld, somehow managing to avoid feeling the essence of death roaming around like a plague. If only, just only, he didn’t have to return to this god forsaken place… He had sworn that he would never return after he had managed to rewrite reality in that now hidden tapestry, but now… he oversaw something. 

He was assuming that he was doing everything according to plan. First, he rewrote his and everyone’s fates as followed; him being King of the Gods, letting Zeus and Hera only get into some affairs, and allow Athena to be born with Metis’ wisdom, but at a higher, deadly price. He remembered when Zeus was head over heels for Metis back then. Well, he WAS in love with her even in the  _ real  _ reality, but this was different. Zeus had the chance to be happy, even if he was the Lord of the Underworld and even if he (Hades) changed everything for his own benefit. Zeus had the chance to have a small, peaceful family. But Hades decided that it wasn’t enough pity. 

So, once Athena was born, Hades secretly put Gaia’s saliva into Metis’ water, and had her killed instantly from blood loss. 

Till this day, no one knows who truly killed her. But yet, Hades decided to frame Zeus for it, who completely denied everything and was still mourning for her endlessly. However, while some of the gods had their own suspicions on other individuals who could’ve killed her, Hades decided that it would be better this way. If they never find out about his entire plan… or their true memories. Hell, even if Zeus  _ did  _ kill her in the real reality, it was under petty circumstances- all because he was afraid that a wise girl like Athena would dethrone him. 

Hades wanted to laugh at that. Oh, how THAT didn’t age well. Especially when they, except for himself, had false memories! That, and the fact that he only wanted Athena to be birthed by Metis just because he was planning to use her, to use HER intelligence all along. And now that he had it, nothing could stop him.

Or so he had thought. 

Huffing, he walked inside the throne room, eyeing suspiciously at the souls who were… chained up against the floor. This made him perplexed at first. Normally, he’d just send them to the river after he gave them their judgement and off they go! But this was different, of course. These souls… They were acting differently. Sure, they were desperate and not wanting to accept the fact that they’re dead, but what caught him by surprise was when one of them spoke while wailing. 

“Despair! Why did it have to be her?!” The soul sobbed. “If only she wasn’t… if only she wasn’t brought down to such despair… none of this would’ve happened…” 

“But it is what she craves for now.” Another soul said with a crestfallen look as they gazed down.    
“The way he tainted her… she couldn’t be changed…” 

“Our poor goddess… if only we had seen it sooner.” 

“She was such a proud and lively goddess…” 

“Hades will pay! He will pay with despair! Just watch!” 

Hades frowned. Feeling aggravated at the fact that a measly dead soul cursed him out. Not even listening to the past statements or even making sense of them, Hades suddenly turned to snap at them. Until suddenly, he found himself pinned against the wall with a pair of hands gripping his neck tight like a twig. The moment he recognized the force, Hades gasped for air, trying to fight back as he chuckled while blue orbs scowled heatedly and with such undeniable rage at him. 

“Z-Zeus! Long time no see, bro!” Hades choked out, almost gagging as he forced himself to speak while Zeus hissed at him. “H-how are things here, lil’ bro? I heard about your little mess so I came here to---” 

“What did you do to her?” Zeus cut him off, gripping his neck more until Hades could feel his Adam’s apple almost against his esophagus as he gasped. “What did you do to my daughter?!” 

“O-oh, I thought ya knew… I mean, sh-she spends so much t-time with you that I must’ve th-thought that she would’ve told you even if I said otherwise.” Hades wheezed slightly, feeling Zeus’ orbs glare right through his soul as he smirked devilishly. “You see… I  _ kind of  _ messed with her brain here and there, managed to pull her mom’s wisdom…” 

“You DID WHAT?!” 

Before he knew it, Hades was thrown against the floor with a brutal force. Grunting and gritting his teeth, Hades dismissed the forming bruises on his skin as he easily healed Coughing as he managed to get the air back to his lungs while Zeus seethed. “You… you hurt my daughter?!” 

“It didn’t even hurt her! She didn’t even feel a pinch! Besides, your daughter doesn’t feel anything other than the pride for her city- which is a big, bloody mess now, of course.” Hades laughed, enjoying the sight of Zeus’ expression as he mocked him about his daughter. Oh how he would do anything to just have this moment recorded in his mind forever. The other god was boiling in rage, almost wanting to blast him off with all his strength and disintegrate him. Hades was LIVING for this moment. Yes, this is what he wanted to see. His brother being so enraged at the fact that his children are being harmed and used that he can’t be able to do anything about it! His brother was now useless! 

However, his victory was short lived as he felt  _ hands  _ suddenly grab his ankles, wrists, and his body overall. Hades froze, suddenly summoning bolts as he began to blast the souls trying to drag him away or hold him down. Growling, he summoned a bigger bolt as he aimed it. “Get your SLIMY hands off from me this instant! You should know better than to--” 

Suddenly, Hades felt his chiton being dragged as he was harshly pulled away. He struggled and tried to pry himself off, but Zeus was stronger than he imagined. Gritting his teeth, he attempted to blast his own brother off with a lighting bolt, yet the souls had him completely distracted as he tried to pry them away from him and yelled at them. After a while, he felt himself being pulled away from both gravity and the souls as Zeus hoisted him by the neck. Scowling, Hades was about to struggle yet again until he gazed down. 

He froze. 

Right below him was the River of Death. Right were countless souls swam aimlessly and sluggishly. 

His heart began to beat faster as he suddenly anticipated what was going to occur and turned to his brother as he opened his mouth to speak. Thus, no words escaped from his mouth as he suddenly noticed Zeus’ eyes. 

They were swirling. 

Swirling in black and white. 

Hades paled. What was going on-- 

“Fall into your despair, Hades.” 

It was the last thing Zeus told him as he suddenly let go of him. Hades let out a shriek, his body descending until it hit the river. He tried to struggle, souls clinging against him with such a brutal force that he couldn’t almost even fight against. Hades scowled, cursing loudly at Zeus who only gazed at him with those now swirling eyes and hateful scowl. No! He was the King of Olympus! King of all Gods! He ruled over everyone and everything! This is how he wrote HIS reality! He shouldn’t fail! He was supposed to be unstoppable! 

Screaming and kicking, Hades let out one final yell as he was being pulled deeper within the river. “WHERE DID I GO WRONG?!” 

__________________________________________________________________________

Ares gritted his teeth. Fighting his way through the crowd of genocidal, infected people as he tried his best to defend himself. His heart raced, feeling his blood boil more and more as he tried to reach his destination. Regretfully, he slashed the arm of an infected woman who attempted to swing a knife at him as she cried out in pain, collapsing on her knees. Looking away, the god kept on. Feeling as the clock ticked as if he was running out of time. But he didn’t know what…

He didn’t know if all of this could be reversed. He didn’t know if he could bring his own son back to life. Hell, he didn’t know if Athena… 

Athena… 

She was the cause of all this. This despair, this bloodshed… and Hades was more at fault in this. 

He swore, by the River Styx, once this was over, he was going to get the other gods to accuse this son of a bitch and dethrone him, once and for all! They will show him his place! He wasn’t going to hurt his sister. Not her, his sons, or anyone, ever again. 

Too bad he wasn’t going to fulfill his oath. 

Quickly, he managed to locate Athena’s temple as he managed to race up the steps and barge in. At first it was dark, much to his annoyance. Snapping his fingers, he made the torches within the temple lit up as he closed the doors and turned around. “Athena! You should be here! Listen to me… I know what you’re doing. Let’s just… talk. Like siblings.” 

“... Talk?” He heard his sister’s voice, much to both his relief and, somehow, dismay. For a minute, he was glad that he had managed to locate Athena, but on the other hand… something was wrong. Very wrong. He then heard footsteps coming from behind Athena’s statue as he narrowed his eyes at first, before their size enlarged. 

Before him was his sister, but not the Athena he knew. He never took her for just wearing a toga that reached to her knees, especially one that didn’t match her own color. Her hair was… grown. Almost reaching to her waist. What made him a bit more shocked was the fact that she had a… a large scar in her forehead. One that was from one temple to the other, as if it had been sliced open before several times. 

Ares gulped, awaiting for the worst. Yet, he just hoped that he could make her snap out of her trance, even if he had to resort through violence. Athena just stood there, arching a questioning brow before she smirked. “Well? Don’t you like the menagerie that I just set up, dear brother? Isn’t it truly… despairing?” The tone of her voice had a sinister mix into it as she chuckled amusingly. “Also… I do apologize for your son’s demise.... It is despairing, but yet again… despair IS something blissful.” Athena chortled, leaning against her own statue as she gazed up at it, sighing deeply as her mood changed from amused and sinister to depressed. “It’s funny… how you and Aphrodite used to like the old me. When in reality I am like this.” 

“Because of Hades, Ena. He made you into this.” Ares countered, trying his best to be calm and collected. “Owl lover, listen. I don’t know how he hurt you… but you could’ve told me and Dite. We would’ve done something! We could’ve prevented all of this from happening! We were getting along so well last year, ‘Ena… what did we do wrong for you not to tell us anything?!” 

Athena suddenly let out a yawn, rolling her eyes as her mood shifted yet again to an annoyed one. “ _ Goodness,  _ you’d really think I’d give up this opportunity? You just don’t get it!” She raised her arms to her sides as she grinned insanely. “Hope is nothing but a false childhood lie! The moment you think you have hope right under your grasp during that grueling moment of despair, the next thing you know, that hope gets crushed like  _ nothing. _ And that’s why I decided that if I was going to suffer in despair… then why not Hades and the entire universe!?” Athena then beamed, outstretching her arms to her sides further. “Think about it, brother. Your despair of losing your own son, the despair of watching your own people die… wouldn’t that be delightful?! Instead of feeling that fake term called hope for just mere seconds, why not feel AND spread despair? This was all Hades’ fault… he drove me to this, and now it’s too late to stop now.” Her face then darkened as she smiled sinisterly, which made Ares almost recoil as he took a step back. This… the damage Hades caused her… he couldn’t believe it. She was gone. FAR too gone! Yet, he refused that fact. He still wanted to save her. He still wanted to believe in hope---

“Join me, brother… you won’t regret this.” She said sweetly. “After all… whatever has been said and done in the past, we’re still siblings… just like I said back at the Big Games. Just imagine it, together, we’ll be unstoppable! Oh! But not only us two, but my friend Oizys here- you can thank her for helping me create the disease later- and our lovely Aphrodite!” 

“What?!” 

Suddenly, from a room, the door burst open as Ares watched. He saw a not so familiar goddess walk out from it with a chained Aphrodite. Said goddess struggled as she desperately spoke, gazing between Athena and Ares. 

“Ares, I’m sorry! I-I couldn’t do anything!” She cried out. “I tried to talk her out of it, but---” 

“She’s annoying.” Oizys suddenly growled as she suddenly snapped her fingers. A gag appeared in the blonde’s mouth as she let out muffled screams. Gritting his teeth, Ares tried to pull his sword out and attack the goddess holding Aphrodite until a blue hand caught his wrist. 

“Ah, ah, ah.” Athena warned him, smirking as her grip on him tightened while he tried to struggle. “If you attack her… Dite gets infected. Though… we can make an… arrangement. I won’t hurt her or you, if you accept in being my… what did I call it again? Ah, yes! Now I remember!” 

Athena then smirked as she whispered in his ear. 

“My two Remnants of Despair.” 

**_To be continued…_ **


	8. Chapter 5: Adore Me

**_“You can laugh_ **

**_A spineless laugh_ **

**_We hope your_ **

**_Rules and wisdom choke you._ **

**_Now_ **

**_We are one_ **

**_In everlasting peace.”_ **

**_Radiohead - Exit Music (For A Film)_ **

**_Warning: Blood, gore, and other sensitive concepts. If you do not feel comfortable reading, you may stop reading. You have been warned._ **

**________________________________________________________________ **

**Chapter 5: Adore Me**

**_Year 671_ **

**_Birth of the Ultimate Despair_ **

_ “Let me go this instant! I don’t want this!” Athena roared, her limbs hardly flailing as she was chained up against the table, having already regained consciousness as soon as she awoke. Regretfully, she couldn’t recall much of her past hallucination, but she did know that she literally just fainted right at the entrance of her father’s abode. But now, here she was, back in Mount Olympus as Hades had her chained up as he prepared the tools. The bag of scrolls was forgotten on the floor, Hades having already assumed her intentions as he emptied it and kept the scrolls somewhere so she couldn’t find them yet again. Sighing in aggravation, Hades began to sharpen several of his tools as he spoke.  _

_ “Athena, you should’ve learned your lesson by now…” He stated, turning towards her as he put a mask around both his mouth and nose. “If you messed with me, the King of Gods, you are not allowed to go unpunished… and unfortunately, this time, I’m not gonna use anesthesia on ya.”  _

_ She could almost feel a chill run down her spine as anger was replaced by fear. Eyes widening, Athena tried to sit up as she spoke. “W-wait! Don’t do it! I just want to talk! Please!”  _

_ “... Talk?” Hades arched an eyebrow, cocking his head as he placed the large sized scalpel down as he sat before her. “Go ahead. Before I change my mind.”  _

_ Athena swallowed, mentally trying to find a way out of this predicament while she also had many questions that she needed answered. Now. “First… What were those scrolls? Why did you never show them to me? And… I… saw this woman in one of my hallucinations… she looked a lot like me, so I assume she must be related to me somehow. Who is she? And why are these nightmares not stopping? How is all of this that you’re doing helping me?!”  _

_ The god was silent at first as he crossed his arms. It was eerily silent at first, with Athena anxiously awaiting for any sort of response from him. Hoping that whatever he is doing will pay off eventually and that he would change his mind about punishing her. Too bad that once a god marks his own words, he stays with them.  _

_ So he spoke, all the while he opened up one of the scrolls he summoned.  _

_ “Log Time: 13:45.” He began to read as Athena listened, her breathing somehow becoming slightly noticeable as she felt anxiety creep up at her. “The first experiment with the kid has begun. Of course… I decided to borrow one of Zeusy’s little brats for experimentation. I mean, c’mon, you can’t help it if you’re the King of Olympus and there’s a child of Metis that the Moirae mentioned who would overthrow me! Oh, by the way… rest in peace, Metis. Sorry about your husband killing you… oh wait. That was me.” Hades grinned behind his mask, watching as Athena wide eyed in horror and gasped. She tried to process everything Hades had said- his explanation somehow having answered all of her questions.  _

_ He wasn’t helping her… he was only helping HIMSELF and no one else. Not only that, but the woman in her dreams WAS her own mother! The one that birthed her! Yet… she died… by Hades’ hand. So he could get his hands on her for his own gain and sick pleasure… but why… Why would he experiment on her? After all this time of believing that he would help her become a great goddess?  _

_ What he said next made her almost vomit.  _

_ “But Metis had to understand at some point; why I killed her and took her precious daughter away. In fact, I was planning on killing her while she was pregnant. But then I thought… Why not let her give birth and THEN kill her? And so, I did. I made everyone believe that Zeus was the one who killed her and bada-bing! He was miserable forever! Another reason why I wanted to let the kid’s mom give birth to her was because she would inherit her mom’s wisdom… and boy, was I ready to see what’s in that girl’s mind once she fell for my trap! And so… you did.” Hades grinned, chuckling as he saw Athena now struggle and try to cry for help. But no one would hear them. The room was soundproof, plus he had only stripped her telepathic communication powers away just so she wouldn’t call for any god at all. Regardless, he kept on reading, feeling more sadistic as he saw tears run down the teen’s eyes.  _

_ “And so, the first experiment was a success. According to my findings…”  _

**_In another time…._ **

“He said, and I quote,” Athena sat on her throne as she spoke, mimicking Hades’ tone as she had the two captive gods chained up and kneel before her. “That my wisdom was growing more as I developed physically and maturely. The wisdom that my mother held was so powerful that it could even bring down any god once its power has evolved into something so powerful… yet deadly.” She then grinned, all the while Oizys stood beside her throne with an unemotional look, yet her eyes glared daggers at both Aphrodite and Ares, who only paled in horror. 

“He… he experimented on you…” Aphrodite mumbled as she gazed down. “So that scar… it all makes sense now…” 

“Despairing, isn’t it?!” Athena chimed, chuckling before she waved her hand. “But that was only the beginning! I was so young back then… I was just a kid when he started! It was  _ so  _ much despairing when I found out… that false hope that I had was crushed! I experienced despair at firsthand that I just wanted more! But anyways…” She held a sinister look as she kept on. “Back to the flashback…” 

_ ______________________________________________________________________ _

_ “You… you never helped me…” Athena choked out. Tears falling from her face all the while Hades just stood up and placed the scroll away. “You lied to me! I trusted you!” She kept on, all the while Hades retrieved his operation tools and went up to her. “You said that you would help me grow!”  _

_ “... Did I say that? Oh hey, I did.” Hades shrugged. Retrieving a small glass of oil as he summoned a chain at the same time, which pinned her head down and prevented her from struggling as she cried out. He applied only a small drop of that oil along her forehead. “I would help you grow… but only to become a weapon for me.”  _

_ Athena paled. Her mind and state suddenly unable to process anything as Hades retrieved a small scythe, pointing it at the center of her forehead. Before he could do so, he made a gag appear on her mouth as she let out a muffled yelp, desperately trying to shake her head despite the fact that it was being held. “Now, this’ll only hurt a bit…”  _

_ Once the blade ended up slicing the skin and flesh of her forehead, Athena let out a muffled scream.  _

_ Blood and ichor stained the table and her clothing, the pain being unbearable. If she were a mortal, the amount of blood loss would’ve caused her to die instantly, but she was the contrary of being mortal. She was in a world of pain. In a world of lies and false hopes, all the while Hades kept on with his torture.  _

_ As soon as her head was sliced open, she felt two sharp things poke at her brain. She sobbed and cried out in pain, trying to take the gag away as she only begged for this to stop. She didn’t want this! She never agreed to this! She didn’t want to be someone’s tool or lab rat!  _

**_HELP! SOMEONE! ANYONE!_ **

_ Despite the fact that her powers had been limited, Athena still cried for help. But it was useless. No god or goddess could hear her. It was hopeless. She was now trapped, and with no way of getting out of this.  _

_ Suddenly, Hades poked at the center of her brain, and something within her made her snap as she let out a muffled shriek. Flashes of people dying showed up upon her vision, including the one where her mother was drinking the poisoned water that caused her to die in the first place… _

**_MOM! DON’T DO IT! PLEASE!_ **

_ But again, it was still hopeless…  _

_ Her mother, coughing out blood and what was left of her ichor, died right in front of her eyes, her gaze filled with nothing but riddled shock and despair.  _

_ Despair… _

_ Despair… _

_ Was that what she was feeling right now?  _

_ The feeling of something so unprecedented. Something… somehow exciting and unexpected… Was that what the “other” her was talking about back then…? If this was despair then-- _

_ Another poke harshly invaded her brain as she almost choked, crying out and sobbing as her tears mixed with her blood and ichor. She was in pain! Why was this happening to her?! Why her?! What has she done to deserve all of this?!  _

_ Suddenly, something within her snapped. Her vision clouded with the image of her mother’s portrait slowly burning away. Along with everything she had once considered precious to her and her life. Her dream of becoming a great Goddess… the hope of one day releasing her father from his own misery… the hope of having people admire her for her wisdom, beliefs, and strength, all ounce of hope had begun to burn away to ashes. The only thing that remained in her was the shock of her despair and all the pain that she was feeling- physical, mental, and emotional. Her mind and body began to fall on an endless void, desperately trying to seek something to grasp upon- to find a true reason to move on, despite the pain.  _

_ Thus, she couldn’t find it.  _

_ For years, she had suffered more and more, all the while she hid behind a fake mask the entire time. Despite the blood and ichor staining her clothes, she still founded her city; Athens. Despite feeling the blade pierce through her skin and bone almost every single day, she faced off wars against her own brother and other enemies out there who attempted to wrong her. Despite the tears, endless nightmares, the pain she had to endure all by herself, and the lies spat by Hades himself… she still kept on.  _

_ And it only still got worse, once she discovered that Hades had altered reality just so he could get what he wanted.  _

_ ______________________________________________________________________ _

“The Tapestry… but that thing was literally buried deep underground somewhere for years.” Ares mumbled as he shifted his gaze down. Athena scoffed, gazing at her own nails as she crossed her legs. 

“Well, duh. But since Hades wanted to mess around and play King for all eternity, he decided to hide it, so that way no one could bring everything back to normal.” She then sighed heavily, leaning against her throne as she cupped her own chin and pouted lightly. “And I was wishing to help dear old dad to get out of the Underworld, when he was actually a King, yet Hades stole that from him… that’s quite tragic.” 

The two gods gazed down, all the while Oizys stared down at them as she crossed her arms and spoke. “It’s no use of fighting this despair now. Hades was the cause of all this, remember? Face it. It’s better if you two just give it up. The Despair Disease has already reached Sparta, and it’ll now be reaching to other cities and countries. Especially Olympus.” 

“Gods can get infected, too?” Aphrodite whispered, her question suddenly making Athena’s mood shift once more. The blue goddess laughed, almost throwing her head back which startled the two chained deities. 

“How do ya think  _ I  _ suddenly decided to live for despair?!” She laughed mockingly. “It’s not that hard to understand! I was the first person infected by the Despair Disease! Hell, Hades was the one who literally gave me the idea- against my own will, of course!” 

“That bastard…” Ares growled, gazing down as he tried to fight off his own chains. Anger began to build up at him as he gritted his teeth. “I swear, once this all ends, I’ll make him pay!” 

“Aw, I’m glad you want to bring despair to him, dear brother. That’s nice of you.” Athena smiled sweetly at him before she waved a dismissive hand. “Buuuuuuut father is already taking care of it. By now, he’ll have his crown and throne back. You’re welcome!” 

“Wait. Zeus… is he…?” 

“Weeeeeell, I kinda exposed him to the disease, sooooo… Whoops. My bad!” 

The two froze as Aphrodite gasped. Suddenly, she tried to get rid of the chains around her wrists and ankles as she whimpered desperately. “Athena stop doing this! I know you’re in there somewhere! Just let us help you! Please! We’ll do anything!” 

“... Anything, you said?” 

Before the two gods spoke, Athena let out the most strangest, eeriest chuckle as she grinned sadistically from ear to ear. Her pet owl Ibid suddenly landed on her shoulder as he carried what looked like an owl plush on his beak. The plush look awfully a lot like him, except for the fact that his entire left side was grey and that it had a half crooked smile, along with a swirled eye. Athena took the plush in her hands as she faced it towards them, suddenly speaking in a child-like voice which they could assume that would imitate the plush, in a way.    
  


“Big mistaaaaaaaake~!” She mimicked. The sight made them flinch as they just sat there, frozen in shock and fear. “If you are really THAT willing to do anything for a Goddess of Despair, ya have to get infected! Can’t go around trying to help a goddess while still having hope behind yer backs!” 

“What?!” Aphrodite wide eyed. All the while Ares wanted to vomit as he tried to figure out a way to get out of this and make Athena suddenly go back to normal. This couldn’t be happening! Not to her! Not his sister! This was NOT the Athena he knew! He wanted HIS Athena back! The one he used to have childish arguments and fights with, the one he literally grew up with, played with, and spent some time with despite their differences and disagreements. Even if her entire life was rewritten thanks to an asshole like Hades, there had to be some sort of hope or miracle lingering around. He had to track that Tapestry down and make everything back to normal, for everyone’s sake and hers. 

Meanwhile, Aphrodite panicked, tears swelling up her eyes as her lip almost quivered in fear. She and Ares were about to get infected with this disease soon. They were going to get infected by the person she loved and cared for most. She couldn’t accept this… she said she and Ares were willing to do anything to help her, but she had only meant it in the other way! She wanted to get Athena out of that despair soon. All she wanted was to search for that Tapestry, bring reality back to normal, and end this apocalypse. She just couldn’t leave her behind and wreak havoc across the whole world. She couldn’t let Athena become worse than Hades… she wanted the real Athena back. Not this one! She wanted this Athena to disappear and never come back! She wanted Hades to not lay a single finger on her once she and Ares managed to find that damn Tapestry! 

They still had hope! 

… Hope? 

Was this… really hope? 

Then… why did it felt as if it wasn’t going to last for long…? 

Suddenly, a strange air began to invade the atmosphere. It was quiet at first as Athena placed the plush away. She gazed down, hugging herself as she spoke slowly, yet clearly. “Goodness… did you really think that something so pointless and less interesting like hope would save me? Come on now, you two… I  _ am  _ already saved. I was saved… the moment I found out I wanted everyone to worship me and my despair.” 

“... In the next thirty seconds, your fake, hopeful selves will be no more.” Oizys suddenly spoke as she stepped forward. “I will be showing you Our Mastermind’s despair. Don’t worry… this will not hurt.” Suddenly, she closed her eyes for a mere second. Aphrodite and Ares wide eyed, trying to escape from their bound positions, but still, there was no hope in escaping. Not anymore. Suddenly, the Goddess’ eyes opened to reveal her eyes swirling and shining slightly, the light making them wince and look away as they tried not to look. Meanwhile, Athena suddenly laughed, enjoying the spectacle at its finest. 

“Oh yes…” Athena grinned maliciously at them, watching as the two gods struggled in their chains. “You’re just where my vision of Despair was missing! You two are gonna raise it to a whole new level of despair!” 

“Athena… no… we can still fix all of this...” Aphrodite let out a sob, wincing as the pressure in the chains around her joints began to throb her skin. 

“You still have us! You don’t have to do this, damn it!” Ares begged, looking away from the light as he pulled at his chains, even though these were the kind of chains made exclusively for gods. Athena smirked, taking the sight of them struggling weakly. Oh, how it pleased her… 

“Oh, but I want to… so I can make Hades pay, and learn that he can’t play with fate.” Athena cooed, suddenly standing up from her throne as she walked up to them and got on her knees, raising their chins up as she forced them to look at her. “And besides… you two are too…  **special** to me. Once I show you what despair is all about… you’ll  **adore** me more.” __

Suddenly, before any of the two could act, she suddenly brought their frames close to her in an embrace. The two froze, finding themselves unable to move and their minds completely paralyzed from all thought and reason. Their eyes shot open in shock, which were sadly caught by the pair of bright and swirling eyes from the Goddess of Misery and Depression. 

“Just stay still… and it’ll be over soon.” Athena hushed them, caressing Aphrodite’s hair and Ares’ back. “You can cry and laugh against me if it helps… because soon, you two will be reborned exactly like me… I do this… not only for my despair, but because I’ve always cared for you two, oh so much. You’ll understand soon… that hope is just pedestrian and limited. Once you feel despair, you will feel it for as long as you and I live.” 

The two gods felt fear swallow their souls whole, unable to move from the pair of eyes that finally had their attention. Their minds began to throb slightly and spin, Athena’s voice being the main thing that was preventing them from escaping as their visions began to alter and blur. 

And, suddenly, in a matter of seconds, that’s when they saw it. The birth of her despair. 

**_To be continued…_ **


	9. Chapter 6: Memories...

_**"Mama, we all go to hell** _  
_**Mama, we all go to hell** _  
_**I'm writing this letter and wishing you well** _  
_**Mama, we all go to hell** _

_**Oh well now, Mama, we're all gonna die** _  
_**Mama, we're all gonna die** _  
_**Stop asking me questions, I'd hate to see you cry** _  
_**Mama, we're all gonna die"** _

Mama - My Chemical Romance   
  


Chapter 6: Memories...

**_Year 435_ **

**_If Only…_ **

Hercules sighed, gazing down at his notes as he made sure that he had everything written down from his current class’ lecture. The clock ticked by as a part of him anxiously waited for class to end soon. He had to meet the others for study session as soon as he got out of school, whereas he also had to rush and head to training as soon as he’s done with the study session. The sad part was that both Adonis and Terror had to tell them that they couldn’t go for several reasons. Adonis, because his father requested an important family meeting relating to the throne, and Terror, because he had to meet his father to prepare for his tests so he could be eligible for the upcoming position as Spartan General. As much as he wants to improve on his own training, Hercules knew that he had to pass this one test, or else he wouldn’t even pass the year with adequate grades. 

Luckily, the others decided to have Medusa tag along with them. Ever since her incident, and since Aphrodite lent her the pair of glasses that would help her avoid turning any mortal she set eyes on into stone, they saw that she was also in need of more friends and people to hang out with. It wasn’t until two months ago when Galatea suggested that they should let her join their study sessions as well. That way, they could also help them while also spending more time with them. He was glad, even. At least, the young gorgon had another chance in life. 

The demigod hummed as he pondered, noticing how the teacher had paused his lecture so he could go to his office to retrieve some paperwork for them to complete during class. As the teacher left, Hercules sunk himself into his own train of thought. Recently, a day ago, Athena had requested him to meet up with her at her temple right after he was done with everything that he had to do today. Ever since he had expressed to the Goddess that he wished to help his father get out from the Underworld and change his title so he could live a happy life, Athena had somehow grown interested in the idea. Next thing he knew, the Goddess had sent him a letter stating that he should meet her at the temple by 7:00 PM- the exact time in which his training would end. He had told her that he would be a few minutes late due to training, but surprisingly, she didn’t mind, as long as he got there. The ginger then began to wonder; what did she want to talk about? Did she have some sort of plan or something? Was she able to help him do something about his father’s misery and depression? 

Sighing, Hercules shook the thought away. It really wasn’t worth thinking about it now. After all, he had to focus on his studies now, despite having a little difficulty with it. Hopefully, his friends would help during the study session. 

As he read through his notes once more, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Perking up, he turned to look behind him as Icarus spoke. “Did ya asked her out alre-” 

“Wha- Icarus, pipe it down!” Hercules cut him off with a whisper. “You know she can’t know yet.” 

“Aw, c’mon! You two have been talking for what, a year already? Way before our friend group began to grow.” Icarus stated as a matter of fact as he crossed his arms. “And movie night is coming in like, three weeks or so.” 

“Speaking of movie night,” Hercules suddenly changed the subject, hoping that his friend would dismiss the former one as he spoke. “Are we watching the same movie we saw last week? Because that one literally almost… I dunno, disturbed me?” 

“Huh. Can’t lie there, buddy.” Icarus shuddered. “Next time, remind me not to watch any movie that has a complete psychopath as the main character. Never again!” 

“Dude, aren’t you disturbed by the fact that it was based on a real life event?” Fear, having heard their conversation as he was done with his own notes, decided to join them. 

“What! You’re kidding, right?” 

“He’s not lying.” Cassandra joined in, organizing her papers while Galatea moved from her seat to an empty one that was right behind the redhead’s. “Sure, some of the things in the movie were changed because of the safety of those involved in that event, but the fact that it did happen was quite shocking.” 

“Well, at least the guy is in prison now, according to the movie…” Galatea hummed. Cassandra corrected her, however. 

“In fact, they did show us when the killer got into prison. However, he was executed by the Spartan Military once they found out that he attempted to blow up the entire military base.” 

“Holy crap…” Icarus wide eyed, stunned. Fear snickered at his reaction as he spoke. 

“When I told dad about the movie and he said that it actually happened, I was shook.” 

“Honestly, anyone would be.” Electra, having finished her assignments, rolled her eyes. At this point, they all sat next to each other as they chatted. “The effects, cinematography and all were quite good, though. I also heard from my poetry club that they’re launching a documentary about the killer next week.” 

“Oh, we should watch it then!” Galatea piped up. “I mean, we haven’t selected a movie yet and our movie night is in three weeks, so why not?” 

“Hm, that’s not a bad idea…” Hercules mused. Already feeling less stressed as he began to plan with his friends. “I mean, we’ve been seeing action and horror movies, so a documentary is a good change.” 

“Don’t make that change permanent, though. Because I still dig those horror movies.” Electra warned him as Tempest and Terror came up to them and sat down. 

“Pffffft, I recalled when we watched that one romantic movie the other night. I almost wheezed.” Fear snickered, along with the others, while some of them cringed or made gagging noises. 

“And this is why I despise those movies.” Tempest groaned. “Too cheesy, too cringe, and oh, not funny. At all.” 

“Took the words RIGHT out of my mouth.” Electra made a fake gagging sound while Terror groaned. 

“Electra, for the love of whatever god you worship, do not do that. I just ate the  _ worst  _ breakfast this morning and I had to vomit because it made me sick.” 

“Ooh, now that’s gross…” Electra cringed as she face palmed. “But why do you and almost everyone here still eat the school’s breakfast though?! Our club has a better breakfast.” 

“And don’t forget Speedy Pita. Gods, they have the best omelets.” Tempest added, sighing longily. “But they’re too expensive.” 

“I know, right?!” 

“How did we go from talking about a movie to food, once again?” 

“Terror, you SHOULD know that we always do that in some of our conversations and it never fails. Like ever.” 

The group just kept on chatting as they waited for the professor to come back, all the while Hercules smiled and pondered. Despite his own problems, he did cherish his friends more than anything. They were like his second family to him. Ever since he began making more friends five months ago, aside from Cassandra and Icarus (who had been his friends ever since he began school two years ago), he felt as if he wasn’t an outcast anymore. He was content with this. He wouldn’t change his friends for anything or anyone. 

If he only knew though…

  
  


**_Year 436_ **

Before they could even attempt to reach back to the God of War, who had left in a fit of rage, desperation, and angst, the chaos only increased outside. They had luckily managed to escape from the city, not even thinking about if for a second time. They were all worried about their families, of course. They didn’t know if they were infected, safe… or dead. At this point, they just didn’t know what to do. 

Everything just felt hopeless. Everything was falling apart. Yet, Hercules didn’t know how this came to be. 

The group, who sadly left Terror’s corpse behind, had reached to the outskirts of Athens. Hercules gazed down, feeling weak and unable to do anything. He was a demigod. He should’ve done something… he should’ve warned Terror to not look up before it was too late for him. He should’ve… but he didn’t know what would happen. He didn’t know the chaos that was about to ensue minutes before he and his friends were about to celebrate their last days before their graduation. And now, one of his friends… is gone. 

Hercules gazed down as he and the others walked away from the city. None of them spoke to each other since they left Terror’s body behind. Galatea almost had a mental breakdown as Cassandra held her hand, helping her calm down from the shocking and gruesome events that they had been exposed to hours ago. Icarus had a lost look on his face, all the while Tempest urged him to keep walking as she tried her best to stay composed. Thus, Hercules knew that she was deeply disturbed by what just happened. As the daughter of the Queen of Amazons, she didn’t socialize with anyone at her school at all. That is, until Hercules introduced her to his group of friends and befriended her. Since then, she had been more sociable and open not only to them, but also him. And now, losing one of the people she cared about, was now leaving her a huge scar. 

Hercules gazed down. He wanted to comfort her, but… he didn’t know how. He, too, was at lost. To think that he didn’t get along with the two sons of Ares until a year ago… it was as if they were best friends and as if nothing bad has ever happened between them. And to make things worse; Fear doesn’t even know that his own brother was now dead. Once they would find him and tell him… he would never be the same after this. 

His only hope was that he and Electra were safe back in Sparta. That is, if they are still alive… 

  
  
  


**_Year 435_ **

****

**_New Year’s Eve_ **

“Hey Dionysus! Mind if ya pass the ambrosia!” 

“Just a sec! More ambrosia, comin’ right up!” 

“Don’t forget my drink, Dio! Need a little help there?” ( ~~insert jojo reference. Yes, i nicknamed Dionysus after Dio, but i HAD TO~~ ) 

“I would appreciate it. Thanks, ‘Pollo!” 

Aphrodite smiled as she sat with the other gods at what seem to be the little bar area in Mount Olympus. She took a sip from her drink as she and the others chatted animatedly, wondering what the upcoming year would bring to them and the mortals. Being frank with herself, the Goddess of Love wasn’t surprised that she had been alive for hundreds of years, yet she still looked young. It was logical, of course; given the fact that they were all gods and that they stopped aging at some point during their adulthood. It wasn’t surprising, for her or the other gods, at least. 

She then hummed as she gazed at her drink. All of the gods, except Hercules, of course. He was just… well, he WAS a god, until Hades decided to strip half of his immortality away and have him live in the mortal realm, much to the teen’s dismay. She felt pity for him, of course. Hades just couldn’t blame an affair on his wife or brother; he just had to take it out on his own nephew, out of all people. At that, the blonde wanted to roll her eyes. He was way too petty and morally invalid to be a King, in all honesty. Yet, she knew better than to say that to anyone or in front of him. One negative word about him and punishment would be well served on a platter. And it had to be well done (No pun intended). 

Aphrodite frowned. Yet… despite the fact that Zeus had a few affairs with Hera, and Hades did forgive her for all of them, except the one where Hercules was born… Why would he do that? Why would Hercules be the exception? It was strange, to begin with. There was also the fact that Zeus had his first child; Athena. Yet, Hera was not her mother. Everyone knew who was Athena’s mother; Metis. An oceanid who met Zeus one day before Kronos was dethroned eons ago. The goddess hummed in thought to herself. That goddess… she had mysteriously died from childbirth. However, no goddess has ever died from that. And it couldn’t have been Zeus. He loved Metis so much. He had promised to spend the rest of his life with her and their child, even if he was stuck in the Underworld and Metis’s father never approved of their relationship. 

That is, until, according to rumors, he was hugging her dead body close to him that dreadful day and mourning for her sudden demise. 

Thus, it did not make any sense for Aphrodite. Zeus loved Metis a lot. He was ecstatic when he learned that his late fiance was pregnant, according to what both Hera and Hestia said about her and Zeus’ relationship. Hell, Metis WAS Zeus’ first love. He wouldn’t harm her in any way. She began to question herself… Why did Hades blame Metis’ death on Zeus? Out of all people? Maybe because he disliked his brother way too much? If that was the case then, there was no excuse for the King of Gods to blame his own brother for a crime that he never committed. It didn’t end there. Years after Metis died, Zeus was deeply depressed- the only gods secretly helping him through it being Hera, Poseidon, Hestia, and Demeter. Hades didn’t even know that his brother, his wife, and his two sisters were helping Zeus through his time of need. Hell, he only knew about the affairs between Hera and Zeus when the latter suddenly fell for the Queen of Gods. Thus, when Hera conceived Ares, Hephaestus, and Eris- three children who were born from both Hera and Zeus-, Hades didn’t make a huge deal out of them, but when it came down to Hercules… everything changed. Now, it wasn’t making any sense. The more she thought about it, the more she didn’t even want to think over it no longer. 

Huffing as she finished her drink, Aphrodite took a refill as Dionysus gave her some. “Ah, thank you, Dio.” 

“No prob, ‘Dite!” Dionysus chirped, all the while the Muses arrived as more gods came in. “I’ll be back in a sec with appetizers guys. Only two more hours for New Year!” 

“Try not to get drunk!” Ares joked as the God of Wine and Parties left, his comment making almost everyone snicker. 

“And try not to spill that wine on the ambrosia like last time!” At Athena’s comment, both her and Ares laughed along with the others, all the while Dionysus blushed in embarrassment while laughing, too as he left. Aphrodite decided to join the two other gods and smiled, sitting beside them. 

“Sooooooo, how’s the ‘trying to get along’ project going?” She asked the two, Ibid flying to her as she smiled and greeted the owl sweetly while Ares. 

“We’ve been makin’ progress, honestly.” He smiled, him and Athena sharing a gaze before he continued. “We were kinda thinking about uniting both city states. But it would take a whole millenia for us to try and do that.” 

“I personally agree.” Athena dipped her head. “Which is why I decided to make Prometheus Academy open for all Spartans as well. I’ve been hearing that the student drop-outs have been increasing lately, so it wouldn’t hurt to have more mortals that do not live in Athens get a better education.” 

“Aaaaand I decided to let Athenian soldiers do training at the Spartan military base.” Ares added, smiling proudly as he crossed his arms. “... With high security, of course.”

“Sadly, some Athenians and Spartans are holding a grudge against each other.” The bluenette sighed, checking her nails as Aphrodite listened to them. “However, because of this, my brother and I will be delivering a speech to them first thing in the morning. Hopefully it can get their attention…” 

“True… I mean, to be honest, all the wars between Sparta and Athens started all because you two never got along and disagreed with each other’s beliefs.” Aphrodite said as she rubbed her neck. Noticing Ares’ dogs of war approach Athena shyly as she smiled, petting their heads lightly. She smiled at the sight. “Well, the good thing is that you two are getting along now.” 

“Yep. And, we both get to prank on Apollo.” Ares chuckled, summoning some bird seeds as he fed Ibid some. 

“Oi! I heard that!” Said god shouted from a distance, which caught the three gods off guard before they tried not to burst in laughter. As they calmed themselves, Athena gazed up at the Goddess. 

“Hey, we kind of heard about your break-up with Hephaestus…” She told her, tilting her head slightly as she gazed at the pink goddess in concern. “Are you doing well since…?” 

“Hm? Oh. Right.” Aphrodite blinked, gazing at her drink before she looked at them. “Well… Heph WAS kind of a jerk-” 

“‘Kind of?” Ares arched an eyebrow as he scoffed. “I mean, if flirting with several women and cheating on you counts as ‘kind of,’ then…” 

“Ares…” Athena lightly scolded him, all the while her brother crossed his arms. 

“Did I lie though?” He whispered. “‘Ena, he flirted with you and made you feel EXTREMELY uncomfortable. Am I right?” Aphrodite saw as the blue goddess gazed down. “What would’ve happened if I never got to the Forge on time?” 

“... We’d never agree to put our differences aside?” Athena jokingly asked, gazing up as she smiled lightly. Aphrodite giggled, cupping her mouth as she nodded in agreement. 

“‘Ena has a point, Ares.” She told him as she smiled. “If you never went to literally save her, you would still be at each other’s throats. Now, look at you. It’s like you two are fraternal twins now.” 

“What? ‘Dite, we’re more like, conjoined twins. We do almost everything together.” Ares joked, obviously exaggerating as he rolled his eyes while chuckling. 

“Indeed, we do.” Athena followed along, before eyeing at him. “... Except “the dirty.”

“ATHENA I SWEAR TO MY NAME--” 

The two goddesses laughed as Ares turned redder than he was, his reaction making them almost lose it. Aphrodite smiled, laughing and chatting along with the two gods as they talked about different things going around, and what they were thinking about next year. At this point, she was considering them as people that she was deeply putting her trust in. Hopefully, their friendship- or whatever this was, really- would stay like this forever. 

  
  


**_Year 436_ **

By the time it was over, Athena decided to sit at her throne, holding the owl plush in her hands as she attempted to plan out her next move. She smirked, feeling herself more pleased as every phase of her plan was falling into place. Now… all she had to do was drive Mount Olympus into despair, and she will finally get what she most deserves. 

Athena sighed, gazing at her hair as she hummed in disapproval. She sure needed a haircut. And soon. 

“Oizys.” She called. “Can you call one of the mortal servants? I need my hair cut.” 

“Of course, Mastermind.” Oizys, who was doing some work, nodded as she sat up, teleporting away. Athena sighed, gazing at her handmade plush as she glanced at every single detail she had put into it. Ibid, who was perched on her shoulder, hummed and tilted his head as she smiled at him and spoke. “What do you think, Ibid? Should we bring him to life?” 

Ibid let out an animated chirp, flapping his wings slightly as if he was agreeing with her. Athena chuckled, placing the plush aside as she caressed her owl’s head lightly with her index finger. “Well, at least you understand me…” 

Her moment was interrupted when she heard a slight whimper and something tremble in her thighs. Perking up, she only smiled motherly, her hands now caressing the two chained up gods’ heads as their heads rested upon her lap. “Hush now… no need to shed more tears… you two have already shed enough. I promise that I will make you stronger with my despair… and give you a reason to live for.” She played with Aphrodite’s hair, all the while she caressed Ares’ cheek with her other hand. “It must’ve been painful and despairing to watch me in pain… but don’t worry. I am here now, and no one will touch me, as long as you two are here… with me.” 

Her voice began to echo in their minds as the words that she had spelt out began to plaster into their brains. Their frames shook, tears staining their faces as the image of Athena- their beloved one-, being tied up in that table, screaming in pain, begging for mercy and peace, and losing all hope was still stuck into their minds like a record player. Their gazes were also lost, all thought of escaping suddenly fading away and being replaced by nothing but… despair. 

Minutes later, Oizys came back, her aloof gaze meeting Athena’s as she spoke. “Your servant will be coming in a second.” She told her as she bowed, before gazing at the two quivering gods beneath her. She hummed, taking their traumatized expressions into account, plus an important detail…

Their eyes swirled. Just like the ones who were infected with the Despair Disease. 

“... Your plan worked. Now they’re feeling despair.” 

Athena hummed and smiled as she spoke. “Indeed. Now… we shall teach them how to spread this despair. But first… I must take care of them. Can’t let two moles go loose without letting them be aware of my feelings.” 

“They’ll be exactly like you in every shape and form.” Oizys smiled slightly. “I am amazed… your despair has reached beyond my expectations. You made your loved ones be driven into madness. I am impressed.” 

“It was all thanks to you, dear Oizys. I promise you, once my plan is complete, I will reward you.” 

As the two spoke, the two shaking gods suddenly and gently held her hands, the goddess letting them do so as they felt so lost and despaired. She only hummed, holding their hands as she caressed their knuckles with their thumbs before planting light kisses on them, She gazed at them, smiling fondly yet sinisterly at the same time. “You two… will be the perfect Remnants of Despair. I will provide you, not only with my guidance, despair, and intellect… but with all my adoration and care.” 

**_To be continued…_ **


	10. Chapter 7: End of the World

**_"Strumming my pain with his fingers_ **

**_Singing my life with his words_ **

**_Killing me softly with his song_ **

**_Killing me softly with his song_ **

**_Telling my whole life with his words_ **

**_Killing me softly with his song."_ **

**_Killing Me Softly - Fugees_ **

  
  
  


Chapter 7: End of the World

**_437_ **

**_New Era of Despair. Recap._ **

The world was in total ruin. 

A year ago, Athens, Sparta, and Rhodes were declared danger zones. The cause of it was a psychological, infectious disease known as the Despair Syndrome. This syndrome originated from Athena's thoughts and psychological torture. Whoever saw what she had gone through would be subject to feeling and even inducing her despair towards anything, anyone, or even themselves. Despite the fact that this idea had originated from Oizys, the Goddess of Misery and Depression, Athena had decided to go through with the plan with one sole purpose; so everyone could feel her despair for eternity. 

And yet, she was not the only one. 

She has recruited gods and mortals, gave them a dosage of her disease, and declared them as her Remnants of Despair. The first three being Zeus, Aphrodite, and Ares. Their main purpose was to cause despair across the globe, whose state was now catastrophic and with little chance of being recovered. Zeus, as the new King of Gods, had managed to inflict despair upon many gods, with the exception of those who had managed to escape on time. Thus, before Zeus had fallen into his own despair, he had left a project… a very important one, at that. 

His project; reviving Metis. 

Minutes before the former Lord of the Death had been caught by his own daughter’s syndrome, he had sent the reincarnated Metis on a mission; to recover the Tapestry of Fate, rewrite fate, and banish the despair for good. 

And thus, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, hope came to be. An organization known as “Elipzo” was founded and created by the remaining survivors of the despair disease. The group consisted of gods, mortals, half-mortals, and some monsters. The group’s sole goal was to eradicate despair, search for a cure for the despair disease, and bring the Remnants of Despair and its leader down. This organization was located somewhere in Europe, far from the outskirts of Greece. The group consisted of its members as follows: 

Tempest. 

Hercules. 

Medusa. 

Cassandra. 

Icarus. 

Galatea. 

Fear. 

Helen of Troy. 

Triton. 

Persephone, Goddess of Spring. 

Artemis, Goddess of Hunt. 

Clion. 

Chipacles. 

Hippocrates. 

Andromeda. 

Hermes. 

Hera. 

Ares’ dogs of war- Brutacles and Sadisto. 

Electra 

Daedalus. 

Alceme. 

Amphitryon. 

Eros, God of Love and Sex. 

Orion. 

And in addition, half of the student population in Prometheus Academy are also a part of this group. 

However, even if the amount of the members in this organization was sufficient, the Remnants of Despair kept on growing consistently. With the spread of despair, it was not helpful. Rumors of Aphrodite also hosting killing games in buildings such as schools and military bases were also confirmed, with the captors being those who either have already fallen into despair, or those who survived, yet were not a part of the Elipso organization. And despite this, the war between hope and despair raged on for years and years, no matter how many times the despair was being fought. 

Suddenly, one day… Metis came into the picture of Elipso. Along with a mortal woman who was a survivor. Gazing at the organization directly, the goddess spoke.

“I am Metis… Athena’s mother. And this… is the truth that I am about to reveal to you.” 

  
  
  


**_Years Later…_ **

“Hey, hey, hey, HEY!!!! Easy on the stabbing, will ya?!” 

“Aw, c’mon now! I didn’t have a turn yet, bark!” 

“You two are such idiots…” 

Three… plushies stood around a dead body. One of them was an owl, whose facial features showed to the annoyed by the two other animated plushies before him. While half of his body was blue and looked an awful lot like Ibid, his other half was a darker hue of grey, a swirl shown on his eye along with a curved, sadistic half smile instead of a full break. The plush who was stabbing the corpse was that of a grizzly bear, which had similar characteristics to the owl, yet unlike him, he was black and white. Finally, the plush who was complaining was a bunny, her left half being purple while her other half was white, followed by bloody, permanent smears on her face as her other half showed off her fangs. The owl rolled his eyes, suddenly pushing the bear and taking the knife away as he spoke. 

“The killing game is over, Monokuma! That guy is dead!” 

“I know that!” The bear, Monokuma, fumed, as he balled his fists. “I want to feel more despair, though!” 

“But there’s gonna be another killing game, right?” The bunny asked innocently as she tilted her head. The owl, who was in fact named after Ibid, sighed and rubbed his head with his own wing. 

“I hate to break it to you, Lilly, but Athena wants to take a pause on those killing games now…”    
  
“W-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!” Lilly shrieked, her ears dropping as tears appeared in her face. “B-b-b-but the games thrill me with despair! I want mooooore!” 

“She’s what now?!” Monokuma suddenly fumed, throwing the bloody knife away as he stomped and scowled. “That was Aphrodite’s plan! It’s brilliant!”

“Yes, yes, indeed it is. However…” The plush owl sighed as he gazed at them right in the eye. “... Elipso is starting to get in the way of our Mastermind’s plans.” 

“Oh… you mean those crummy hopeful little shits, huh?” Monokuma frowned as he crossed his arms. “Eugh, they’re disgusting…”    
  
“But they’ll get rid of them, right?” Lilly frantically asked. “It’s been years since they’ve been at our tail and…” 

Suddenly, the three plushies heard the door open followed by three sets of footsteps. They perked up, looking up to meet their three master’s gazes at them as the one between them spoke. “We will get rid of Elipso first. Then, we can continue with the killing games.” 

“B-but, wouldn’t it be fun if we put them in one of the killing games?” The blonde one asked as she poked her two index fingerprints. “They’ve been working lately…” 

“Really, ‘Dite? That’s still less exciting… we should just let ‘em in a war arena and get infected with the disease! That’ll wipe them off the map quickly!”

“You’ll even let your own son get killed by despair?!” 

“Hey, it’s for the sake of despair, am I right?” 

“Huh? Oh… right, I kinda forgot!” The blonde goddess giggled. 

Athena’s eyes glimmered as she knelt right in front of the plushies, smirking lightly as she spoke. “Send a message to the other Remnants. Tell them it’s time.” 

“Time? Time for what?!” Monokuma almost seethed until Lilly elbowed him. 

“ _ Time for plan omega, duh!”  _ The bunny screeched at him as she ran off. 

“Oh, right!” The bear yelped as he followed along. All the while Ibid gazed at his master for a moment before he flew off along with the other three. Athena mused. Her long hair had grown back even more over the years as she let her scar on her forehead show. She was now wearing a long black robe which only let one of her shoulders bare. Her forearms were covered by tattoos and her own cuffs. Her pet owl Ibid rested neatly on his shoulder with the same expression he’s always had since his mistress fell into despair; emotionless. Her eyes… its vibrant blue was no longer there. It was now replaced by grey, dull ones. Despite the sinister, miserable essence that she provided, she was dull. Dull due to the pain Hades inflicted on her. But now… the memory did not affect her no more, because she was showing the world how despair can be permanent and how hope is just something that anyone can live for a second, before being crushed by the undeniable pain from despair. 

For the first time in years, Athena had felt a greater taste of despair. Having the two people who stood next to her fall into her despair, brainwash them, give them a purpose… and on top of that, making them care for nothing except her. Only her and no one else. It was indeed despairing… that they only live for her. As long as she lived, they would still live. Even if they are immortals, there is still a chance for a god to be killed, just like her mother was years ago. 

What was more despairing is that she also broke her oath. At this point, she should’ve been punished, which would’ve been more despairing. Thus, Zeus let it slide for her… he knew perfectly well that a vessel of despair was needed. Especially if it was from her own blood. Therefore, Zeus allowed it and avoided her punishment. Letting her wreck havoc around the world with despair. 

Smiling at the thoughts rummaging in her head, she discreetly strokes her stomach. The life that was now growing within her… they were going to be exactly like her and her Remnants of Despair. As she pondered on how she was going to raise her soon-to-be-born child, a pink hand caressed her locks while a red one rested against her shoulder. She hummed as she let her Remnants speak to her. 

“I already sent the other Remnants to attack Rome.” Aphrodite said, her now also grey eyes gazing at the blue haired one in adoration. She had changed over the years like Athena. Her hair was now tied in a ponytail all the while she wore a pastel pink toga along with a pair of heels. A scar was displayed on her forearm- one that she had obtained when Athena had been attempting to brainwash her and Ares. 

"The Remnants here are punishing the non-infected mortals here. Just like you asked for, 'Ena." Ares stated, his hand caressing her cheek lightly as she hummed and leaned against it. All the while Aphrodite's hand also did the same. 

And speaking of Ares, said god had not changed that much unlike the other two. His eyes were the same as theirs, and he was wearing the black and grey armor that he used to have years ago. Like Aphrodite, the god had an obsession not only with despair, but with Athena. Athena had made it possible for the two to only care and crave for despair and her at the same time. While she used them to her own advantage indeed… she liked it. Hell, she was in  _ ecstasy  _ whenever they showed their loyalty towards her and despair. It made her also crave for them more each day, and it also made it possible for her to keep inflicting and absorbing their despair. 

Killing Ares’ son, his army, tainting his city with bloodshed and despair… 

Seeing Aphrodite wail as her cupids are enslaved, when her son abandons her for hope… 

Oh, it was so despairing, she could just explode! 

At the thought, she smiled. The hands caressing her hair and shoulder… they could just suddenly pull at her hair or choke her any second, but she knew they wouldn’t. If she was hurt, they would get hurt as well… So in short, they couldn’t do anything for their own will. They were bound to them for eternity- as long as she still kept living. She knew how much the two cared for her, especially even before they were inflicted by her. She smirked to herself. This was what Hades felt when he changed fate… when he had succeeded in changing everyone’s memories and fate itself, while also making Hera his own wife and making her, a child of Zeus, as a pawn for his own game, a game that she now owns. 

Standing up, Athena dusted her toga, her heels clicking as she walked outside the temple with the two gods following her. She smiled sinisterly as she watched the chaos and bloodbath from outside the Pantheon of Gods. An evil glint was shown in her eyes as she feasted upon the sight before her. She held the two gods’ hands as she caressed their knuckles with her thumb, all the while she spoke. 

“This is what the world will look like for eternity... “ She chuckled, smirking as she held her head up high in pride. “As long as I live… despair will continue on... I swear, by the River Styx, once our vessel is born, despair shall keep on living, even if I stop existing one day.” 

And just like that, a new oath was born. No matter if something changed in her, despair would keep on. Humming, she let the two gods lean against her frame as she held them close to her, the three watching the horrific scenery of their Remnants causing death and despair consuming them. Athena smiled to herself, letting out an odd giggle. 

This… this is what she will live for. 

As long as that Tapestry is long buried, she was fine with how things turned out to be. No one will find that thing. Because she will keep reigning on, along with her father, her Remnants, and the memory of the fall of her mother. 

… At least, she only had thought that her mother was dead at first. 

Until then, the fateful meeting between a despairing daughter and a mother will soon come one day. 

**_End of Part 1._ **

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that wraps it up for part one! Hope you guys enjoyed!


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